About Megascops centralis (Hekstra, 1982)
Megascops centralis, commonly known as the Chocó screech owl, measures 20.5 to 27 cm (8.1 to 10.6 in) in total length. Two recorded specimens weighed 106.7 g (3.76 oz) and 121.5 g (4.29 oz) respectively. This species occurs in two distinct color morphs: gray and rufous, and many individuals have plumage that is intermediate between these two extremes. The gray morph has a grayish white facial disc marked with blackish bars and a faint black border. It has indistinct whitish brows above eyes that range in color from yellow to red-orange, and short but distinct "ear" tufts. Its upperparts are brownish gray, mottled with black and buff. Irregular white spots are visible along the margin of the folded wing. The chin is white, while the rest of the underparts are white to buffy white, patterned with narrow black bars and buffy to gray mottling. The rufous morph is rufous brown on the upperparts, with far less mottling than the gray morph, and its underparts are various shades of brown. The Chocó screech owl is distributed from central Panama into northwestern Colombia, and also occurs in a narrow band across western Ecuador. It inhabits both the interior and edges of humid primary and secondary forest in lowlands and foothills. In elevation, it reaches as high as 1,575 m (5,167 ft) in southwestern Ecuador, but is most commonly found at elevations below 1,000 m (3,300 ft).
