Bird Guide

Bare-shanked Screech Owl vs White-throated Screech Owl

Bare-shanked Screech Owl (Megascops clarkii)

Bare-shanked Screech Owl

Megascops clarkii

Medium158 gForest

The owl is 23 cm (9 in) to 25 cm (10 in) long, 173-190 mm long, and weighs 123-190 g. Its upperbody is reddish-brown and is "spotted, mottled, and vermiculated with black". Its hindneck is yellowish and the feathers on its shoulder has a white band across them, edged with black. The flight feathers have cinnamon-colored bars, while the tail has light and dark bars. Underneath the owl, it is pale brown with a tan and yellowish tint. Its upper breast is partially white, while the lower breast and stomach have either dusky reddish-brown bars or markings with black streaks.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Bare-shanked Screech Owl
Recorded by Beth Cottam · Song · Paraiso Quetzal Lodge - Km 70, Costa Rica · CC0
Photo: Tommy Andriollo · CC BY 4.0
White-throated Screech Owl (Megascops albogularis)

White-throated Screech Owl

Megascops albogularis

Medium159 gForest

The white-throated screech owl is a large member of its genus. It is 20 to 26 cm (7.9 to 10.2 in) long and weighs 130 to 185 g (4.6 to 6.5 oz). It is overall dark plumaged, has a round head with very small ear tufts, and a longish tail. Adults of the nominate subspecies have a dark brown head and upperparts with small blackish, reddish, and white marks. Their flight feathers and tail have narrow darker bars. They have a dark facial disc with whitish marks above and below the orange eyes and a large white area below the bill that in some postures looks like large moustaches. Voice: The white-throated screech owl has several vocalizations. What is believed to be its primary male song is "gruff, barked notes, 'churrochurro-churro-chu chu chu chu'" given for up to a minute. A secondary song is "evenly spaced hoots, 5 per second". Members of a pair sing in duet, with the female having a higher pitch. The female also has various agitation calls.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the White-throated Screech Owl
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Duet · Morona-Santiago: PN Sangay, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Christoph Moning · CC BY 4.0

Learn this pair in the BeakBrain App

Photo and call practice. Coming soon to iPhone and Android.

Play today's Daily Bird

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Bare-shanked Screech Owl and White-throated Screech Owl.