Vermiculated Screech-Owl

Vermiculated Screech-Owl

Megascops guatemalae

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Tikal National Park
119 Verified sightings at Tikal National Park From 2019 to 2026
598 Verified sightings across all 26 parks From 2019 to 2026
October Best month highest sighting rate
☀️🌙 Day & Night When it's spotted Active throughout day and night

About the Vermiculated Screech-Owl

The Middle American screech owl (Megascops guatemalae), also known as the Guatemalan screech owl or the vermiculated screech owl, is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found from northern Mexico to western Panama.

The taxonomy of the Middle American screech owl is somewhat unsettled. The International Ornithological Committee (IOC) recognizes these six subspecies, but notes that fuscus and dacrysistactus might not be distinct enough to warrant subspecies status.

M. g. hastatus Ridgway (1887) M. g. cassini Ridgway (1878) M. g. fuscus Moore & Peters (1939) M. g. guatemalae Sharpe (1875) M. g. dacrysistactus Moore & Peters (1939) M. g. vermiculatus Ridgway (1887) Until July 2023 the IOC treated vermiculatus as a separate species, the vermiculated screech owl; the North American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society (AOS/NACC) and the Clements taxonomy had included it earlier. BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) retains vermiculatus as the separate vermiculated screech owl.

The AOS/NACC and Clements add another subspecies, M. g. thompsoni, which the IOC includes within the nominate M. g... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Tikal National Park

Mottled Owl
LC

Mottled Owl

☀️🌙 Day & Night Bird

Strix virgata

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

Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Glaucidium brasilianum

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

Black-White Owl

☀️🌙 Day & Night Bird

Strix nigrolineata

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 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
2 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
~10%
3 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
4 Biotopo Cerro Cahuí 🇬🇹 Guatemala
<5%
5 Cañón del Sumidero National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
6 Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
7 Cusuco National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
8 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
9 Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
10 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
11 Lago de Yojoa 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
12 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇧🇿 Belize
<5%
13 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
14 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
15 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
16 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
17 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
18 Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
19 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
20 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
21 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
22 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
23 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
24 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
25 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
26 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Vermiculated Screech-Owl in Tikal National Park?

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Vermiculated Screech-Owl sighting in Tikal National Park, based on 119 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Vermiculated Screech-Owl in Tikal National Park?

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

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