Mottled owl
| Mottled Owl | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom Information | |
| Domain | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Subkingdom | Bilateria |
| Branch | Deuterostomia |
| Phylum Information | |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Sub-phylum | Vertebrata |
| Infraphylum | Gnathostomata |
| Class Information | |
| Superclass | Tetrapoda |
| Class | Aves |
| Sub-class | Neornithes |
| Infra-class | Neoaves |
| Order Information | |
| Order | Strigiformes |
| Family Information | |
| Family | Strigidae |
| Sub-family | Striginae |
| Genus Information | |
| Genus | Strix |
| Species Information | |
| Species | S. virgata |
| Synonyms | Ciccaba virgata |
| Population statistics | |
| Conservation status | Least concern[1] |
The mottled owl (Strix virgata) is a species of owl found in the tropical forests of Central and South America.
Description
The mottled owl reaches a length of between 11.8 and 13.7 inches. Its plumage is dark brown on the upper side with bright spots, with the underside white or yellow-brown with distinct dark-brown stripes. There are several color variants in which the mottling of the upper side changes into a striation, depending on the region in which they are found. The birds of the Amazonian forest are, however, reddish-brown, slightly larger and have an orange-yellow striation. The face veil is very well developed and delineated by white feathers.
Subspecies
- Strix virgata borelliana; eastern Paraguay to southeastern Brazil and northeastern Argentina (Misiones)
- Strix virgata centralis; southeastern Mexico (Oaxaca and Veracruz) to western Panama
- Strix virgata macconnelli; Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana
- Strix virgata squamulata; Mexico: Sonora to Guerrero, Guanajuato and Morelos
- Strix virgata superciliaris; Brazil: north-central to northeastern Amazon River basin
- Strix virgata tamaulipensis; Mexico: southern Nuevo León and Tamaulipas
- Strix virgata virgata; eastern Panama to Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador; Trinidad
Mottled owls are very frequent within its overall range; it is active at night, feeding on small birds, reptiles, and insects. Breeding is in April to May and the female places two dirty brown eggs in a tree cave or the abandoned nest of a bird of prey.
Mottled owls are one of four species formerly of the genus Ciccaba; genetics suggested a closer relationship to birds of the genus Strix than was previously believed, resulting in a change of classification.[2]
