Megascops choliba
Silhouette: Jason Dilworth · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The tropical screech owl (Megascops choliba) is a small species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found in Costa Rica, Panama, Trinidad, and every mainland South American country. The taxonomy of genus Megascops is somewhat unsettled. A 2015 publication proposed that the tropical screech owl's closest relatives are the white-throated screech owl (M. albogularis) and Koepcke's screech owl (M. koepckeae). However, the International Ornithological Committee (IOC) has not accepted that assessment.
The tropical screech owl is polymorphic, with much variation in color. It is overall gray-brown or (less commonly) brown or rufous, but always with a relatively distinctive... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Curitiba | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Bogota | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 3 | Cali | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 4 | São Paulo | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Panama City | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 6 | Medellín | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 7 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 8 | Montevideo | 🇺🇾 Uruguay | |
| 9 | Buenos Aires | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 10 | Caracas | 🇻🇪 Venezuela |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parque das Aves | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Parque Municipal Summit | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 3 | Lisbon Zoo | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 4 | Ecopark | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 5 | Bosque Rodrigues Alves | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Amaru | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 7 | Seville Zoo | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 8 | Mangal das Garças | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 9 | Small Breeds Farm Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 10 | Parque dos Falcões | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 11 | Falkecenter Samsø ApS | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 12 | GüiráOga | 🇦🇷 Argentina |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Tropical Screech-Owl sighting in Caroni Swamp on a given day, based on 310 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 16th most-seen of the 169 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Tropical Screech-Owl in Caroni Swamp on a given day, against about 30% in August and September, the lowest months.
Between 6 and 9 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Tropical Screech-Owl sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
Yes
Of the 37 parks where we can rate Tropical Screech-Owl sightings, Caroni Swamp has the highest daily chance: about 50%. Next come Emas National Park (Brazil, about 30%) and El Impenetrable National Park (Argentina, about 20%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Tropical Screech-Owl is recorded against all the birds logged in Caroni Swamp (310 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.
