Pulsatrix perspicillata (Spectacled owl)

Pulsatrix perspicillata (Spectacled owl) ranges from southern Mexico through Central America and much of tropical South America, with populations also on Trinidad. It inhabits humid evergreen forest, seasonally dry forest, wooded river corridors, plantations, and mature secondary growth from lowlands into foothills. An adult is roughly seventeen to twenty inches long, with dark brown upperparts, a pale buff chest, and white or buff facial markings that curve around the eyes like spectacles. Juveniles are strikingly different, wearing mostly white plumage with a dark facial disk until successive molts produce the adult pattern.

This owl is nocturnal and often spends daylight hours concealed on a shaded perch at low or middle levels. Its territorial song consists of deep, pulsing hoots that carry through forest at night. Hunting usually begins from a perch; prey includes rodents, opossums, bats, birds, large insects, and other animals small enough to overpower. A pair nests in a large tree cavity or broken trunk. The female performs most incubation while the male supplies food, and a dependent young bird may remain with its parents for an extended period after leaving the nest. Although secretive, individuals sometimes use forest edges and wooded areas near settlements. The IUCN classifies the species as Least Concern because of its wide distribution, while loss of large forest trees can reduce secure roosting and nesting sites. Photographed in Colombia.