Strix nigrolineata
Silhouette: Sharon Wegner-Larsen · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The black-and-white owl (Strix nigrolineata) is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. The black-and-white owl is a medium-sized owl with a round head and no ear tufts. It is between 35 and 40 cm in length and weigh between 400 and 535 grams. As for most owl species, females are usually bigger than males with an average weight of 487 g and 418 g respectively. It has a striped black-and-white breast, belly, and vent. With the exception of a black-and white striped collar, the upperparts from the crown to the tail are a sooty black. The facial disc is mostly sooty black, with white "eyebrows" that extend from the bill to the collar. The beak is a yellow-orange colour, and the eyes are a reddish brown.
Chicks are downy and white. Juveniles have a whitish face, dark brown upper-parts and a white-barred black underside. Formerly under the genus Ciccaba which includes many neotropical species, the black-and-white owl is now classified under the genus Strix known as the "wood owls", which all share the same round head and pitch black eyes. This raptor was first reported in 1859 by Sclater. Its sister species, the black-banded owl (Strix hulula), while being... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cali | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 2 | Panama City | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 3 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Paz Waterfall Gardens | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | UMA "El Palapo" | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black-White Owl sighting in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary on a given day, based on 17 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 233rd most-seen of the 277 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 Black-White Owl in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-White Owl sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
17th of 25
Of the 25 parks where we can rate Black-White Owl sightings, Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary ranks 17th at under 5%. The best odds are in Arenal Volcano National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%), Carara National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%) and Pico Bonito National Park (Honduras, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-White Owl is recorded against all the birds logged in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary (17 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.
