Common Name: Spectacled Owl Scientific Name: Pulsatrix perspicillata
LEAST CONCERN Spectacled Owl Distribution: Central & South America Habitat: Tropical Forest & Wooded Areas Height: 43 - 52cm Weight: 590 - 980g Diet: Carnivorous
Spectacled Owls are large owls and there are several subspecies. They are dark brown with a pale belly ranging from whitish to yellow-ochre, a white patch on their neck and a dark brown belt across the breast. The white "spectacles" around their yellow eyes give them their name. As a juvenile they have the adult markings in reverse and may take several years from hatching to attain full adult plumage. They live in the dense tropical rainforests of Central and South America. These owls will also inhabit wooded grasslands, the forest edges and plantations. Spectacled Owls eat small mammals, birds, amphibians and invertebrates. They use a branch as a perch and scan the surrounding area. When they locate their prey they will pounce down on them, smaller prey like insects will be snatched from branches. Their eggs are laid in the dry season, or at the start of the wet season. Spectacled Owls nest in hollows in trees and lay 1-2 eggs, which are incubated by the female. Chicks leave the nest for surrounding branches at about 5-6 weeks, well before they can fly, but are dependent on their parents for up to a year once fledged.