About Megascops guatemalae (Sharpe, 1875)
The Middle American screech owl (Megascops guatemalae, first described by Sharpe in 1875) measures 20 to 23 cm (7.9 to 9.1 in) in length and weighs 95 to 150 g (3.4 to 5.3 oz). It is a dimorphic species, with two distinct overall color morphs: one grayish-brown and the other rufous. Unlike other species in the genus Megascops, it has feathered feet.
The grayish-brown morph has a light brown facial disc with a thin dark border, thin white eyebrows above yellow eyes, and short dark "ear" tufts. Its crown and upperparts range in color from dark gray brown to blackish brown; the crown has blackish spots and bars, while the back has darker streaks and vermiculations. Its fairly long tail is marked with bars. The underparts are paler, with prominent longitudinal stripes and some horizontal stripes, and its beak is greenish. The rufous morph is overall reddish, and its various streaks and stripes are less distinct than those of the gray-brown morph. Recognized subspecies are generally similar to one another, differing mainly in size (which increases from north to south) and the intensity of their coloration.
The International Ornithological Congress recognizes six subspecies of Middle American screech owl, each with its own distinct range. M. g. hastatus lives in western Mexico, ranging from Sonora and Chihuahua south to Sinaloa and Oaxaca. M. g. cassini lives in eastern Mexico, ranging from Tamaulipas south to northern Veracruz. M. g. fuscus lives in central Veracruz. M. g. guatemalae ranges from southeastern Veracruz and northeastern Oaxaca (including the Yucatán Peninsula and Cozumel Island) south through Belize and Guatemala into Honduras. M. g. dacrysistactus lives in northern Nicaragua. M. g. vermiculatus ranges from extreme eastern Nicaragua through Costa Rica into western Panama. The AOS/NACC and Clements classification systems split the Yucatán and Cozumel Island populations of M. g. guatemalae into a separate subspecies, M. g. thompsoni.
The Middle American screech owl inhabits multiple types of humid to semi-arid landscapes, including evergreen forest, semi-deciduous forest, and thorn forest. It occurs less commonly in secondary forest and plantations. Its elevational range extends from sea level up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft).
