Cinnamon screech owl | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Strigiformes |
Family: | Strigidae |
Genus: | Megascops |
Species: | M. petersoni |
Binomial name | |
Megascops petersoni (Fitzpatrick & O'Neill, 1986) |
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Synonyms | |
Otus petersoni Fitzpatrick & O'Neill, 1986 |
Otus petersoni Fitzpatrick & O'Neill, 1986
The cinnamon screech owl (Megascops petersoni) is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is very poorly known and has been known to science for less than 30 years.
The Cinnamon Screech Owl is a small owl, roughly 21 cm long with a weight of 88-120 grams. It is tawny in colour, with streaks down the breast and mottling on the mantle and back. The flight feathers are barred, as are the tail feathers. It has dark brown eyes, a blue-gray bill, and medium-length ear tufts. No juvenile has ever been described.
This owl is only known to occur in the eastern foothills of the Andes from southern Ecuador to northern Peru. It is also possible that it occurs in the eastern Andes of Colombia as well. Its main habitat is cloud forests, particularly between 1700m and 2500m above sea level.