Whiskered Screech Owl
Megascops trichopsis (Wagler, 1832)
Strigidae — Owls
Whiskered Screech Owl, Megascops trichopsis, breeds from south-east Arizona through Middle America to north-central Nicaragua. It is an owl of dense conifer and oak woodland, and it also uses coffee plantations, usually at higher elevations than the western screech owl. Adults come in brown or dark grey forms, with a rounded head, ear tufts, yellow eyes and a yellowish bill. It is very similar to the western screech owl, but shows stronger breast barring and is a little smaller. Three subspecies are recognised: aspersus, mesamericanus and trichopsis.
- Order
- Strigiformes
- Family
- Strigidae — Owls
- Breeding range
- North America, Middle America: se Arizona to nc Nicaragua
