Rio Napo Screech-owl

Taxobox


image_width =
name = Rio Napo Screech-owl
status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo = Strigiformes
familia = Strigidae
genus = "Megascops"
species = "M. napensis"
binomial = "Megascops napensis"
binomial_authority = (Chapman, 1928)
synonyms = "Megascops guatemalae napensis"
"Megascops vermiculatus napensis"

The Rio Napo Screech-Owl ("Megascops napensis"; originally, "Otus napensis") is a species of vermiculated screech-owl. [cite book|title=Experiences of an Ornithologist Along the Highways and Byways of Bolivia|last=Carriker|first=Melbourne ArmstrongJr.|year=2006|publisher=AuthorHouse|isbn=1420882902] It was first described and noted by ornithologist Frank Michler Chapman in 1928, then classified in the "Otus" genus. It is commonly distributed in many parts of South America, such as in Eastern Ecuador, the east of Colombia, along the slopes of the Andes, certain regions of Peru, and up into northern Bolivia. The Rio Napo Screech-owl's habitat of preference is typically dense, tropical rainforest, most preferably between 250 and around 1500 metres above sea level.cite book|title=Owls (Strigiformes): Annotated and Illustrated Checklist|last=Friedhelm Weick|year=2006|publisher=Springer|isbn=3540352341]

The bird typically has a body length of between 20 and 23 cm (8-9 in), with a wing length of between approximately 15 and 17 cm (6-7 in). It typically has a tail around 8 cm (3 in) in length, while its beak is usually only around 2 cm (1 in) long. Its tarsus can be anywhere up to 3 cm (1¼ in) long.

Taxonomically, the owl was originally placed in the "Otus" genus, when first described by Frank Michler Chapman, but was later re-evaluated and resorted into the "Megascops" genus upon review of the bird's characteristics. [cite web|url=http://www.ornitaxa.com/SM/GenChange/GeneraTypOwls.htm|title=Recently changed genus names within the family "Typical Owls"|accessdate=24 May|accessyear=2008] This change originally occurred around 1850, when it was realised that the genus "Otus" in fact encompassed several separate genera, and the Screech-owls were broken off into the "Megascops" genus. However, the change was reversed in 1910, and the Rio Napo Screech-Owl, along with all the other Screech-owls, were resorted back into the "Otus" genus. This reversal stayed in place all through the 20th century, but, further consideration resulted into the reformation of the "Megascops" genus by the American Ornithologists Union (AOU), and all the Screech-owls were again reclassified. [aut|Banks, Richard C.; Cicero, Carla; Dunn, Jon L.; Kratter, Andrew W.; Rasmussen, Pamela C.; Remsen, J.V. Jr.; Rising, James D. & Stotz, Douglas F.]

The Rio Napo Screech-owl has three known and documented subspecies:
*"Megascops napensis napensis"
*"Megascops napensis helleri"
*"Megascops napensis bolivianus"

Notes