About Megascops watsonii (Cassin, 1849)
Megascops watsonii, commonly known as the tawny-bellied screech owl, measures 19 to 24 cm (7.5 to 9.4 in) in length. The nominate subspecies weighs 114 to 155 g (4.0 to 5.5 oz), while the subspecies M. w. usta weighs 115 to 141 g (4.1 to 5.0 oz). The nominate subspecies has a dark buff facial disc with a thin darker border, dark buff brows above dark yellow eyes, and relatively long, broad "ear" tufts. Its crown and upperparts are dark gray-brown, marked with black and buff spots and vermiculations. The tail features alternating bars of brown and light buff. Its breast is dark brown with small buff spots; the rest of its underparts are buff with black streaks, and its belly also has faint white bars. M. w. usta shares a similar patterning with the nominate, but is overall rufous in color, has broader streaks on its underparts, and has warm brown eyes. This subspecies also occurs in brown and buff color morphs. The nominate subspecies of tawny-bellied screech owl is distributed north of the Amazon River, ranging from eastern Colombia east through Venezuela and the Guianas, and south through Ecuador into northeastern Peru and Amazonian Brazil. M. w. usta is distributed south of the Amazon, found in eastern Peru, northern Bolivia, and southern Amazonian Brazil extending to northern Mato Grosso. The tawny-bellied screech owl lives in the interior of lowland rainforest, most often in old-growth and mature secondary forest. M. w. usta can also be found in altered forest along waterways and near human settlements. The species generally favors habitat from undergrowth to the mid-story, below 30 m (98 ft) in height. It is rarely found at elevations above 600 to 700 m (2,000 to 2,300 ft) above sea level.
