The foothill screech owl is considered a distinct species by some authorities, including the International Ornithologists' Union. It is found in forests and dense second growth at altitudes of 200–1,800 metres in northern and western South America. Its taxonomy is extremely complex and a matter of dispute.
Similar species: Owls
By Thibaud Aronson
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Uploaded Mar 9, 2021. Captured Jan 13, 2021 15:59 in Unnamed Road, 22300, Peru.
comments (3)
We walked from the lodge, which sits at 200 masl on the Huallaga river, up to a stunted ridge forest between 1200 and 1400 masl. As has often been my experience in such forests, it can be frustratingly devoid of birds, but from time to time, you stumble upon a gem. And indeed, after not seeing a single bird for about an hour, we finally turned back, and suddenly our guide (a man from the nearby indigenous community) very casually said: "Oh look, an owl". He was pointing at a dark spot maybe thirty meters away, hidden in a tangle of leaves and branches, which turned out to be two sleeping Foothill Screech-Owls, one of the least-known Megascops in Peru (there are 9 in the country!).
To top it off, once we finally found a good spot to photograph one of the two owls, our guide once again said : "Oh look, a bat", pointing at a large bat sleeping in a tree directly above our heads!
Posted 4 years ago
In any case, congrats on another highlight. Posted 4 years ago, modified 4 years ago