The cloud-forest screech owl (''Megascops marshalli'') is a species of

owl Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...

in the family

Strigidae The true owls or typical owls (family (biology), family Strigidae) are one of the two generally accepted families of owls, the other being the barn owls and bay owls (Tytonidae). This large family comprises 230 living or recently extinct species ...

. It is found in

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

and

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 21 June 2021. Species Lists of Birds for South American Countries and Territories. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCCountryLists.htm retrieved June 24, 2021

Taxonomy and systematics

The cloud-forest screech owl is

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...

. Its nearest relatives are the cinnamon screech owl (''Megascops petersoni'') and

Yungas screech owl The Yungas screech owl (''Megascops hoyi''), also known as montane forest screech-owl and Hoy's screech owl, is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found in Argentina and Bolivia.Holt, D. W., R. Berkley, C. Deppe, P. L. Enríquez, J ...

(''M. hoyi'') but their exact relationship has not been settled.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 23 May 2021. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved May 24, 2021 The species'

specific epithet In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...

commemorates Joe T. Marshall, "the modern-day student of nightbirds".

Description

The cloud-forest screech owl is long; a male and a female weighed and respectively. It is among the smallest screech owls. It has a rufous

facial disc In ornithology, the facial disc is the concave collection of feathers on the face of some birds—most notably owls—surrounding the eyes. The concavity of the facial disc forms a circular paraboloid that collects sound waves and directs those ...

with black edges on the sides, white brows over dark brown eyes, and short "ear" tufts. Its crown and upperparts are a rich reddish brown with blackish mottling and a buffy

nuchal The nape is the back of the neck. In technical anatomical/medical terminology, the nape is also called the nucha (from the Medieval Latin rendering of the Arabic , ). The corresponding adjective is ''nuchal'', as in the term ''nuchal rigidity' ...

"collar". The folded wing shows a line of white spots and the tail is barred. Its breast is rufous with dark streaks and thin

vermiculation Vermiculation is a surface pattern of dense but irregular lines, so called from the Latin meaning "little worm" because the shapes resemble worms, worm casts, or worm tracks in mud or wet sand. The word may be used in a number of contexts for ...

s. Its belly is off-white with dark streaks and thin barring.

Distribution and habitat

The cloud-forest screech owl was originally thought to be confined to south and central Peru, in the Departments of Pasco,

Cuzco Cusco or Cuzco (; or , ) is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Sacred Valley of the Andes mountain range and the Huatanay river. It is the capital of the eponymous province and department. The city was the capital of the Inca Empire unti ...

, and

Puno Puno ( Aymara and ) is a city in southeastern Peru, located on the shore of Lake Titicaca. It is the capital city of the Puno Region and the Puno Province with a population of approximately 140,839 (2015 estimate). The city was established in ...

. Since 2005 it has been recorded in northern Bolivia as well. It inhabits

cloud forest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, Montane forest, montane, Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, moist forest characteri ...

, a humid, mossy landscape with

epiphyte An epiphyte is a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphyt ...

s, ferns, and a dense understory. In elevation it ranges at least from and possibly higher.

Behavior

Feeding

The cloud-forest screech owl forages in the canopy; it is believed to be mostly insectivorous.

Breeding

Very little is known about the cloud-forest screech-owls breeding

phenology Phenology is the study of periodic events in biological life cycles and how these are influenced by seasonal and interannual variations in climate, as well as habitat factors (such as elevation). Examples include the date of emergence of leav ...

. It appears to breed between late June and August and is assumed to nest in tree cavities like others of its genus.

Vocalization

The cloud-forest screech owl's song is "a continuous series of monotonic hoots" whose intensity increases and then ends abruptly. It also occasionally utters a "trill-like short song".

Status

The

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

has assessed the cloud-forest screech owl as being Near Threatened. It is "believed to have a very small range and is therefore highly susceptible to any future threats to its habitat."

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1267514 Megascops Birds of the Peruvian Andes Birds of the Bolivian Andes Birds described in 1981 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot