Choco Screech Owl

Megascops centralis (Hekstra, 1982)

20–27 cmLength118 gWeight

The Chocó screech owl (Megascops centralis) is a species of owl in the family Strigidae.

Busiest months: February–March · Most records: Panama, Colombia, Ecuador

Where and when it's recorded

Choco Screech Owl has been recorded at 52 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 4 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

RN San Cipriano-EscalereteColombia538 records
Panama Rainforest Discovery CenterPanama419 records
Semaphore Hill Road – Parque Nacional SoberaníaPanama169 records

More places

RNA PaujilColombia122 records
Canopy TowerPanama115 records
El Paujil Proaves ReserveColombia107 records
RN Cañon del Río ClaroColombia77 records
Reserva Rio CanandeEcuador64 records
Pipeline Road – Parque Nacional SoberaníaPanama58 records
Playa de Oro Reserva de Los TigrillosEcuador54 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Panama Colombia Ecuador Costa Rica

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The Chocó screech owl (Megascops centralis) is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found from central Panama to western Ecuador.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Choco Screech Owl?

The Choco Screech Owl is about 20–27 cm long and weighs around 118 g.

Where does the Choco Screech Owl live?

Its breeding range: South America: Canal Zone (Panama) south to western Ecuador (nearly to northwestern Peru) and eastern at least to the Cauca and Magdalena Valleys of Colombia. It is most often recorded in Panama, Colombia and Ecuador.

When is the best time to see the Choco Screech Owl?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in February and March (Northern Hemisphere).

What does the Choco Screech Owl eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Choco Screech Owl in?

It belongs to the family Owls (Strigidae), order Strigiformes.

At a glance

Length: 20–27 cm
Weight: 118 g
Habitat: Forest
Diet: Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle: Perches in trees
Migration: Resident (barely migrates)

More measurements

Wing: 166 mm
Tail: 77 mm
Bill: 21 mm
Tarsus: 26 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

South America: Canal Zone (Panama) south to western Ecuador (nearly to northwestern Peru) and eastern at least to the Cauca and Magdalena Valleys of Colombia

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2