The black-capped screech owl (''Megascops atricapilla''), or variable screech owl, is a species of
owl in the family
Strigidae. It is found in
Argentina,
Brazil, and
Paraguay.
[Holt, D. W., R. Berkley, C. Deppe, P. L. Enríquez, J. L. Petersen, J. L. Rangel Salazar, K. P. Segars, K. L. Wood, and J. S. Marks (2020). Black-capped Screech-Owl (''Megascops atricapilla''), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.bkcsco1.01 retrieved August 9, 2021]
Taxonomy and systematics
The black-capped screech owl is
monotypic. It is part of a complex of species that includes the
Santa Marta screech owl (''M. gilesi''),
West Peruvian screech owl (''M. roboratus''),
tawny-bellied screech owl
The tawny-bellied screech owl (''Megascops watsonii'') is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.Holt, D. W., R. Berkley, C. Deppe, ...
(''M. watsonii''), and perhaps other undescribed species.
[Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 23 May 2021. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved May 24, 2021][
]
Description
The black-capped screech owl is long. Males weigh and females up to . It occurs in brown, rufous, and gray morphs. All have a light facial disc
In ornithology, the facial disc is the concave collection of feathers on the face of some birds—most notably owls—surrounding the eyes. The concavity of the facial disc forms a circular paraboloid that collects sound waves and directs those wa ...
with a distinct dark border, a blackish crown, and prominent "ear" tufts. Their eye color ranges from dark brown to amber. The brown morph's upperparts are dark brown with pale mottling and vermiculation. The folded wing shows a line of pale spots. The underparts are paler with irregular markings. The other two morphs are redder and grayer respectively.[
]
Distribution and habitat
The black-capped screech owl is found in southeastern Brazil, southeastern Paraguay, and extreme northeastern Argentina. It inhabits a variety of landscapes, especially lowland rainforest and including forest with thick undergrowth, edges, open woodland, and secondary forest
A secondary forest (or second-growth forest) is a forest or woodland area which has re-grown after a timber harvest or clearing for agriculture, until a long enough period has passed so that the effects of the disturbance are no longer evident. ...
. In the northern part of its range it is found from sea level to at least but in the south only to [
]
Behavior
Feeding
The black-capped screech owl usually hunts in the forest canopy, scanning for prey from a perch, but it also frequently hunts in undergrowth. Its diet is primarily insects and also probably includes small vertebrates.[
]
Breeding
The black-capped screech owl's breeding season appears to include October and November, but has not been fully defined. It nests in tree cavities, both natural and made by woodpeckers. It might be semi-colonial, as it has been recorded nesting close to others of its species.[
]
Vocalization
The black-capped screech owl's primary song is "a long fast trill, very faint before increasing in volume, ndending abruptly". Its secondary song is short, with a "bouncing-ball rhythm". Both sexes sing in duet and the female's voice is higher pitched.[
]
Status
The IUCN
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...
has assessed the black-capped screech owl as being of Least Concern. Its population number and trend are unknown.[ It "seems to require fairly large areas of forest in some areas, and it may not be able to survive in remnant forest reserves."][
]
References
External links
''Megascops atricapillus'' a
owlpages.com
{{Taxonbar, from=Q786102
Megascops, black-capped screech owl
Birds of the Cerrado
Birds of the Atlantic Forest
Birds described in 1822, black-capped screech owl
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot