Mottled Owl

Mottled Owl

Strix virgata

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Tikal National Park
208 Verified sightings at Tikal National Park From 2019 to 2026
4,375 Verified sightings across all 66 parks From 2019 to 2026
October Best month highest sighting rate
☀️🌙 Day & Night When it's spotted Active throughout day and night

About the Mottled Owl

The mottled owl (Strix virgata) is a medium-sized owl found in Central and South America from Mexico to Brazil and Argentina. The head and back are mottled brown and the underparts whitish, with vertical bars on the chest and throat. The eyes are dark and the head is round and they do not have ear tufts. They are territorial and found in dry forests and jungles at altitudes of up to 2,500 m (8,200 ft) above sea level.

The mottled owl was described by the American ornithologist John Cassin in 1849 and given the binomial name Syrnium virgatum. In 1999, Wink and Heidrich transferred it to the genus Strix, but this is still contested by some authorities.

The mottled owl is a medium-sized owl with adults reaching 280 to 355 mm (11 to 14 in) in length. Females are considerably larger than males; the mottled owl shows the greatest degree of sexual dimorphism of any species of owl. The crown, nape and back are mottled in several shades of darkish brown, the facial disc is pale brown and the throat, breast and belly are off-white with distinctive vertical brown streaks. The large eyes are brown, the beak is greyish-yellow or greyish-blue, and the legs and feet... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Tikal National Park

Black-White Owl
LC

Black-White Owl

☀️🌙 Day & Night Bird

Strix nigrolineata

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

Vermiculated Screech-Owl

☀️🌙 Day & Night Bird

Megascops guatemalae

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl
LC Endemic

Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Glaucidium brasilianum

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Spectacled Owl
LC

Spectacled Owl

☀️🌙 Day & Night Bird

Pulsatrix perspicillata

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

Central American Pygmy-Owl

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Glaucidium griseiceps

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
American Barn Owl

American Barn Owl

☀️🌙 Day & Night Bird

Tyto furcata

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 El Triunfo 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
2 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
~10%
3 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
4 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
5 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
6 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
7 Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
8 Cusuco National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
9 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
10 Henri Pittier National Park 🇻🇪 Venezuela
<5%
11 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
12 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇧🇿 Belize
<5%
13 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
14 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
15 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
16 La Tigra National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
17 Iguaçu National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
18 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
19 Tambopata National Reserve 🇵🇪 Peru
<5%
20 Canaima National Park 🇻🇪 Venezuela
<5%
21 Iguazú National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
<5%
22 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
23 Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
24 Serra dos Órgãos National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
25 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
26 Madidi National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
<5%
27 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
28 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
29 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
30 Masaya Volcano National Park 🇳🇮 Nicaragua
<5%
31 Los Nevados National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
32 Manu National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
<5%
33 Yasuní National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
34 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
35 Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
36 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
37 Cordillera Azul National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
<5%
38 Palo Verde National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
39 Los Quetzales National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
40 Cañón del Sumidero National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
41 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
42 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
43 Biotopo Cerro Cahuí 🇬🇹 Guatemala
Insufficient data
44 Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
45 Lago de Yojoa 🇭🇳 Honduras
Insufficient data
46 Emas National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
Insufficient data
47 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
48 Amacayacu National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
Insufficient data
49 Brownsberg Nature Park 🇸🇷 Suriname
Insufficient data
50 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
51 Poás Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
52 Irazú Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
53 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
54 Volcán Barú National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
55 Chapada Diamantina National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
Insufficient data
56 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
57 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
58 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
59 Itatiaia National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
Insufficient data
60 Chingaza National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
Insufficient data
61 Ostional Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
62 Machalilla National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
Insufficient data
63 Puracé National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
Insufficient data
64 Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas 🇧🇷 Brazil
Insufficient data
65 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
66 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Mottled Owl in Tikal National Park?

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Mottled Owl sighting in Tikal National Park, based on 208 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Mottled Owl in Tikal National Park?

October has the highest sighting rate for Mottled Owl in Tikal National Park in our monthly data.

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