Megascops choliba
Silhouette: Jason Dilworth · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Tropical Screech-Owl sighting in San José on a given day, based on 343 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 153rd most-seen of the 379 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Tropical Screech-Owl in San José on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
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.
Among the best
Of the 13 cities where we can rate Tropical Screech-Owl sightings, San José ranks 7th at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Curitiba (Brazil, under 5%), Bogota (Colombia, under 5%) and Cali (Colombia, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Tropical Screech-Owl is recorded against all the birds logged in San José (343 verified sightings), 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.
