Spectacled Owl

Spectacled Owl

Pulsatrix perspicillata

Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
at Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park
6 Verified sightings at Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park From 2019 to 2026
2,865 Verified sightings across all 55 parks From 2019 to 2026
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Spectacled Owl

The spectacled owl (Pulsatrix perspicillata) also called a Murucututu, is a large tropical owl native to the neotropics. It is a resident breeder in forests from southern Mexico and Trinidad, through Central America, south to southern Brazil, Paraguay, and northwestern Argentina. There are six subspecies. One is occasionally treated as a separate species called the short-browed or brown-spectacled owl but the consensus is that it is still merely a race until more detailed analysis can be done.

The spectacled owl is found in Mexico, Central America (Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama), Trinidad and Tobago, and South America (Colombia, Venezuela, Suriname, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina). The spectacled owl is primarily a bird of tropical rainforests, being found mostly in areas where dense, old-growth forest is profuse. However, it may enter secondary habitats, such as forest edges, especially while hunting. On occasion, they have been found in dry forests, treed savanna plains, plantations, and semi-open areas with trees. In areas such as Costa Rica, they may inhabit subtropical... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park

Costa Rican Pygmy-Owl
LC

Costa Rican Pygmy-Owl

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Glaucidium costaricanum

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Bare-shanked Screech-Owl
LC

Bare-shanked Screech-Owl

🌙 Nocturnal Bird

Megascops clarkii

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Pacific Screech-Owl
LC

Pacific Screech-Owl

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Megascops cooperi

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Mottled Owl
LC

Mottled Owl

☀️🌙 Day & Night Bird

Strix virgata

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Unspotted Saw-whet Owl
LC

Unspotted Saw-whet Owl

🌙 Nocturnal Bird

Aegolius ridgwayi

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Crested Owl
LC

Crested Owl

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Lophostrix cristata

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Black-White Owl
LC

Black-White Owl

☀️🌙 Day & Night Bird

Strix nigrolineata

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Tropical Screech-Owl
LC

Tropical Screech-Owl

☀️🌙 Day & Night Bird

Megascops choliba

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl
LC

Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Glaucidium brasilianum

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Striped Owl
LC

Striped Owl

☀️🌙 Day & Night Bird

Pseudoscops clamator

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
American Barn Owl

American Barn Owl

☀️🌙 Day & Night Bird

Tyto furcata

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Brownsberg Nature Park 🇸🇷 Suriname
~10%
2 Anavilhanas National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
3 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
4 Amacayacu National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
5 Tayrona National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
6 Yasuní National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
7 Tambopata National Reserve 🇵🇪 Peru
<5%
8 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
9 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
10 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
11 Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
12 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
13 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
14 Palo Verde National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
15 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
16 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
17 Manu National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
<5%
18 El Impenetrable National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
<5%
19 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
20 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
21 Cordillera Azul National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
<5%
22 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
23 Madidi National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
<5%
24 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
25 Sierra de la Macarena National Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
26 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
27 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
28 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
29 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇧🇿 Belize
<5%
30 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
31 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
32 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
<5%
33 Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
34 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
35 Los Nevados National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
36 Emas National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
Insufficient data
37 Volcán Barú National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
38 Noel Kempff Mercado National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
Insufficient data
39 Utría National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
Insufficient data
40 San Lorenzo Protected Forest 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
41 Amboró National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
Insufficient data
42 Machalilla National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
Insufficient data
43 Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
44 Las Baulas Marine National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
45 Chapada dos Guimarães National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
Insufficient data
46 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
47 Canaima National Park 🇻🇪 Venezuela
Insufficient data
48 Ostional Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
49 Lago de Yojoa 🇭🇳 Honduras
Insufficient data
50 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
51 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
52 Iguazú National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
Insufficient data
53 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
54 Iguaçu National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
Insufficient data
55 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
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