Long-tufted Screech Owl

The long-tufted screech owl (''Megascops sanctaecatarinae'') is a species of "typical owl" in the subfamily Striginae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay.HBW and BirdLife International (2020) ''Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world'' Version 5. Available at: http://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v5_Dec20.zip xls zipped 1 MBretrieved May 27, 2021

Taxonomy and systematics

The long-tufted screech owl has had a tortuous taxonomic history. What is currently (2022) accepted as the species' original description was by Osbert Salvin in 1897; he assigned it the binomial ''Scops sanctae-catarinae''. Genus ''Scops'' was lumped into ''Otus'' in the early 20th century but in the early 21st century the current ''Megascops'' was adopted for what are now 23 species of screech owls.

The long-tufted screech owl was at different times treated as a subspecies or a synonym of what is now the black-capped screech owl (''Megascops atricapilla''). Other authors considered it, the Yungas screech owl (''M. joyi''), and what is now the Middle American screech owl (''M. guatemalae'') all to be conspecific with ''M. atricapilla''. Since then, morphological, vocal, and genetic analyses have determined that they are not only separate species but also not closely related to each other.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 31 January 2022. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved February 1, 2022Holt, 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). Long-tufted Screech-Owl (''Megascops sanctaecatarinae''), 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.lotsco1.01 retrieved March 10, 2022

Other complications arise because the several populations of genus ''Megascops'' found in southern Brazil and Argentina's Misiones Province have not been studied enough to be certain that they are correctly assigned. In addition, the specific epithet ''argentinus'' that has been wrongly applied to the southernmost population of ''M. atricapilla'' might prove to be the correct epithet for long-tufted screech owl because of the principle of priority. It had been assigned to a specimen that predates Salvin's description and that might be a long-tufted screech owl.

The long-tufted screech owl is monotypic.

Description

The long-tufted screech owl is long. Males weigh and females . It is a fairly large and bulky member of ''Megascops'', with stronger feet than most others. It occurs in three color morphs of which the brown one predominates over the gray and rufous. It has very prominent "ear" tufts. The upperparts of the common morph's adult are dark brown with pale, coarse, indistinct vermiculation; its crown is somewhat lighter. The brown facial disc has a darker border. The underparts are a mix of irregular bars, streaks, and vermiculation in shades of brown. The eye is pale yellow to orange-yellow, the bill greenish gray, and the feet pale grayish brown. The plumages of the gray and rufous morphs and the juvenile have not been formally described.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 March 11, 2022

Distribution and habitat

The long-tufted screech owl is found in the southeastern Brazilian states of Paraná, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul, in Misiones Province of northeastern Argentina, and in adjoining northern Uruguay. It inhabits a variety of open and semi-open landscapes. Examples include sparse woodland, pastures with trees, the edges (but not interior) of dense forest, secondary forest, and woodlots near villages. In elevation it mainly occurs between .

Behavior

Movement

The long-tufted screech owl is believed to be a year-round resident throughout its range.

Feeding

The long-tufted screech owl is primarily nocturnal. It reportedly hunts by dropping from a perch onto prey. Its diet includes arthropods and small vertebrates; rodents, birds, amphibians, and fish are known among the latter.

Breeding

The long-tufted screech owl's breeding season is not well defined but apparently includes August and September. It nests in tree cavities, either natural or made by woodpeckers. The few known nests fledged one or two young, and the female alone apparently incubates the eggs. Almost nothing else is known about the species' breeding phenology.

Vocalization

The male long-tufted screech owl's primary song is "a guttural, fast trill...lasting from c. 5–10 seconds and ending suddenly". The female's is similar but shorter and higher pitched. The male's secondary song is "short fast notes that become longer and more spaced, in reversed bouncing-ball rhythm". The female's is very different, a "loud, hoarse, extraordinary, 'bababa...'" that is unique among screech owls.

Status

The IUCN has assessed the long-tufted screech owl as being of Least Concern. It has a fairly large range, but its population size is not known and is believed to be decreasing. "Loss of habitat through overgrazing, burning and tree-felling represents hegreatest threat to hespecies."

References

long-tufted screech owl
Birds of the South Region
long-tufted screech owl
long-tufted screech owl
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot