Megascops ingens Cladus: Eukaryota Name Megascops ingens (Salvin, 1897) Reference Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 6 p.37 Vernacular names Template:VBN The Rufescent Screech-owl (Megascops ingens) is a species of owl in the Strigidae family. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. This is one of the larger species of screech-owls, similar in size to the White-throated Screech-owl. The overall length is 25 to 29 cm (10-11.5 in) and weight in males is 134-190 grams (4.7-6.7 oz) and 140-273 grams (5-9.6 oz) in females. It is sandy-brown above, vermiculated darker, the facial disc is sandy-brown, without a distinct rim. The flight feathers are barred cinnamon and dusky and the tail is cinnamon with darker brown bars. The hindcrown has buffy-whitish border. It has honey-brown eyes and small ear-tufts. The tarsi are feathered to the base of the toes. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, from elevations of 1,200 to 2,500 m.This relatively powerful bird is a strictly nocturnal bird that becomes active at dusk. During the daytime it mostly roosts among epiphytes on thick branches. Little is known about the life history of this bird. Larger insects and spiders are taken, as well as small vertebrates. The reproductive biology requires study but it is known to nest in natural holes in trees where pure white eggs are laid directly on the bottom of the cavity. It is not considered a threatened species by the IUCN. References * BirdLife International 2004. Megascops ingens. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 24 July 2007. Source: Wikipedia, Wikispecies: All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License |
|
