Strix occidentalis
Mexican Spotted Owl
©Hollingsworth, John and Karen; photo by USFS Region 5 (Pacific Southwest): Mexican Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis)
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Aves
Order
Strigiformes
Family
Strigidae
Genus
Strix
Species
Strix occidentalis
Colours
Distinguishing features
Distinguishing features still need to be specified.
Size
- Up to 48 cm (Length of specimen)
Wingspan
- Up to 120 cm
Synonyms
Similar taxa
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Animalia:
Barred Owl (species: Strix varia)
Strix occidentalis is similar in appearance to Strix varia but has cross-shaped markings on the underparts, whereas Strix varia is alternately barred on the breast and streaked on the belly. Strix varia are larger and grayer than Strix occidentalis.
Distribution
©Nk: Distribution Map
Distribution and habitat preferences
It has a nearly contiguous range from southwestern British Columbia south through western Washington and Oregon to Marin County. It occurs in disjunct populations in mountain ranges and canyons of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and extreme western Texas in the USA, and in Sonora, Chihuahua, Nuevo León, and eastern Coahuila through the Sierra Madre Occidental and Sierra Madre Oriental in Mexico.
They occur in a variety of hardwood and coniferous forest habitats, preferably in closed-canopy, uneven-aged, late-successional and old-growth forests. The Mexican subspecies may also make use of chaparral and pinyon woodlands, including areas in deep, steep-walled canyons with little canopy cover. (Wikipedia)
Audio recordings
Chronotypes
nocturnal (active at night)
