Nombre en español: Búho Rayado

Nombre en ingles: Striped Owl

Nombre científico: Asio clamator

Familia: Strigidae

Foto: Juan Ochoa

Canto: Eduardo Zavala B.

El lechuzón orejudo (Asio clamator o Pseudoscops clamator) es una especie de búho de tamaño mediano con largas plumas que parecen pelos en su cabeza, aparentando unas orejas y un disco facial amarronado-blanco con un borde negro. Su pico es negro, y ojos de color canela. Posee alas redondeadas más cortas que las que poseen muchos de sus parientes. Su dorso es de color canela con tonalidades negras y gruesas barras. Su zona ventral es de color pálido con rayas.

Se encuentra en varios tipos de hábitats, tales como bosques, zonas anegadizas, pastizales, campos y bosques húmedos tropicales. Su hábitat comprende desde el nivel del mar hasta sitios a 1600 metros de altura o aún más elevados.

Vive en Sud América, y partes de América Central.

Su catalogación sistemática permanece irresuelta. Diferentes estudiosos lo ubican en Asio, o en Pseudoscops junto con la lechuza de Jamaica, o más raramente en el genus monotipo Rhinoptynx.

Striped owl

The striped owl (Pseudoscops clamator) is a medium-sized owl with large ear tufts and a brownish-white facial disk rimmed with black. Its beak is black, and it has cinnamon-colored eyes. It has shorter, rounder wings than most of its close relatives. The upperparts are cinnamon with fine black vermiculation and heavy stripes. The underparts are pale tawny with dusky streaks. It is native to South America, and parts of Central America.

Its systematic placement is not resolved. Different authorities place it in Asio, in Pseudoscops together with the Jamaican owl, or more rarely into the monotypic genus Rhinoptynx.

Description

The striped owl is a relatively large species with prominent tufts of elongated feathers on the crown resembling ears. It is 30–38 centimetres (12–15 in) and weighs from 320 to 546 g (11.3 to 19.3 oz). Its head, back, hot wings and tail are brown with black stripes and small markings while its underparts are buff-coloured with heavy black streaking on the breast. The facial disk is pure white with a thin black border.

Distribution and habitat

The striped owl is native to much of South and Central America. Its range is not well known, perhaps because it is nocturnal and not easily seen, but it is known from Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay and Venezuela. It uses a variety of habitats, including riparian woodlands, marshes, savannahs, grassy open areas, and tropical rainforests. It can be found from sea level to 1,600 metres (5,200 ft) and above.

Status

The striped owl has a very large range and its population is believed to be stable. It faces no particular threats, and as a result, the IUCN has listed it as being of «Least Concern».