Pulsatrix melanota
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The band-bellied owl (Pulsatrix melanota) is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. The band-bellied owl may form a superspecies with tawny-browed owl (Pulsatrix koeniswaldiana). It has been suggested that they are conspecific but they have different morphology and vocalizations.
The band-bellied owl is fairly large, ranging from 44 to 48 cm (17 to 19 in) long. An analysis of the weight of 13 birds of both sexes showed a range of 590 to 1,250 g (1.30 to 2.76 lb) and an average of 873 g (1.925 lb). The adult has a dark brown facial disk and white "brows" over dark reddish brown eyes. Its upperparts are dark chocolate brown with scattered buffy-white spots. The tail is also dark brown, with thin white bars. The upper breast is reddish brown with buff barring. The rest of the underparts are white to creamy with reddish brown barring. The juvenile's plumage has not been described.
The nominate subspecies of band-bellied owl is found on the eastern slope of the Andes... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Podocarpus National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 2 | Amboró National Park | 🇧🇴 Bolivia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Le rocher des aigles | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Agroflori Parque de las Aves | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 3 | Parque Cóndor | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Band-bellied Owl sighting in Amboró National Park on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 151st most-seen of the 273 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Band-bellied Owl in Amboró National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July–October and December–May, the lowest months. June has too few records to rate.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Band-bellied Owl sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Band-bellied Owl sightings, Amboró National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Podocarpus National Park (Ecuador, about 10%).
Same family: Strigidae
The closest relatives of the Band-bellied Owl that you can see in Amboró National Park (family Strigidae, Typical Owls) are Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl (about 20%), Rufescent Screech-Owl (about 10%) and Tawny-bellied Screech-Owl (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Band-bellied Owl is recorded against all the birds logged in Amboró National Park (15 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
