Cinnamon Screech-Owl

About the Cinnamon Screech-Owl

The cinnamon screech owl (Megascops petersoni) is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found in the Andes of Ecuador and Peru and possibly Colombia. The cinnamon screech owl was first described to science in 1986, one of several Megascops owls described at about that time. Its specific epithet honors Roger Tory Peterson, "the father of modern field guides". Its exact relationships to others of its genus are inexact, but it is thought to be most closely related to the rufescent screech owl (M. ingens) and cloud-forest screech owl (M. marshalli). It is monotypic.

The cinnamon screech owl is a small screech owl, 23 to 24 cm (9.1 to 9.4 in) long and weighing 88 to 119 g (3.1 to 4.2 oz). Adults have a warm brown facial disc with a blackish border and the rest of the face is buffy. They have dark brown eyes, a blue-gray bill, and medium-length "ear" tufts. Their upper parts are cinnamon brown with fine darker brown and buffy vermiculation. The wings and tail are cinnamon with brownish and blackish bars. Their undersides are a rich cinnamon buff with some warm brown wavy marks on the throat and chest. No juvenile has been described... Wikipedia →