- Vermiculated Screech-owl
Taxobox
name = Vermiculated Screech-owl
status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1
regnum =Animalia
phylum =Chordata
classis =Aves
ordo =Strigiformes
familia =Strigidae
genus = "Megascops "
species = "M. guatemalae"
binomial = "Megascops guatemalae"
binomial_authority = (Sharpe, 1875)
synonyms = "Scops brasilianus"The Vermiculated Screech-owl, "Megascops guatemalae", is an owl of the
Strigidae family. [citeweb|url=http://www.owlpages.com/owls.php?genus=Megascops&species=vermiculatus|title=Vermiculated Screech Owl - Megascops vermiculatus|accessmonthday=March 10|accessyear=2008]Description
Alike to most
screech-owl s, the Vermiculated Screech-owl isnocturnal . It is similar to North American Screech-owls in size and appearance. The length of thebird is 8 1/2" (21 1/2cm), approximately the size of aRed-winged Blackbird . It is dark-brown incolour (rufous morphs may also eventualize), yelloweye s, agrey togreen ish yellow bill, and palpable whiteeyebrow s.Habitat and behaviour
Habitat
The range of the Vermiculated Screech-owl proliferates from southern
Sonora toOaxaca ,Mexico in the west, in Tamaulipas,Mexico , and south to northernNicaragua and it dwells at low to mediumelevation (fromsea level to 4500ft (1370m). Its habitat can be fromevergreen forests with low annual precipitation tohumid lowland s.Behaviour
The Vermiculated Screech-owl's call is a series of mercurial notes (trill) that last 3-15
second s. The call starts off with a low pitch that promptly increases in pitch and then suddenly ends. The call also tends to waver up and down with the trill.The bird usually nests in March and April and contains 2-5 eggs. Its diet consists of large
insect s,lizard s,frog s, and sometimes smallmammal s. [citeweb|url=http://www.owling.com/Vermiculated_Screech.htm#fieldnotes|title=FIELD NOTES and Range Map - Vermiculated (Guatemalan) Screech-Owl - Megascops (Otus) guatemalae|accessmonthday=March 10|accessyear=2008]External links
* [http://www.owling.com/Vermiculated_Screech.htm#recordings The call of the Vermiculated Screech-owl]
References
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