Tawny-browed Owl

Tawny-browed Owl

Pulsatrix koeniswaldiana

Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Itatiaia National Park

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%

221 Verified sightings at Itatiaia National Park From 2019 to 2026
415 In all 5 parks
September Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the Tawny-browed Owl

The tawny-browed owl (Pulsatrix koeniswaldiana) is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. The tawny-browed owl may form a superspecies with band-bellied owl (P. melanota). It has been suggested that they are conspecific but they have different morphology and vocalizations. It is monotypic.

The tawny-browed owl is about 44 cm (17 in) long. Males weigh 405 to 562 g (14.3 to 19.8 oz) and females 331 to 670 g (11.7 to 23.6 oz). It has a brown facial disk surrounded by ochre, a white chin patch, and creamy "brows" over chestnut-brown eyes. Its breast, upperparts, and tail are dark chocolate brown, and the tail has white bars. The belly is buff and the rest of the underparts are light ochre. The juvenile is initially almost entirely white and gradually attains adult plumage over several years.

The tawny-browed owl is found in Brazil from Espírito Santo state south to northern Rio Grande do Sul and the immediately adjacent areas of eastern Paraguay and northeastern Argentina. It inhabits humid tropical forest, open woodland, and forest dominated by Araucaria evergreens... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:21

Argentina · 2024

© Marcos E. Sosa · XC1074781 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:47

Brazil · 2020

© Lia Nahomi Kajiki · XC541726 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Duet0:33

Brazil · 2004

© Jeremy Minns · XC85360 · CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Itatiaia National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
2 Serra dos Órgãos National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
3 Iguazú National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
<5%
4 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
5 Iguaçu National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Rio de Janeiro 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
2 São Paulo 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Parque Ecológico de São Carlos 🇧🇷 Brazil In captivity
2 Zooparque Itatiba 🇧🇷 Brazil In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Tawny-browed Owl in Itatiaia National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Tawny-browed Owl sighting in Itatiaia National Park on a given day, based on 221 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 145th most-seen of the 352 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Tawny-browed Owl in Itatiaia National Park?

September to November

In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Tawny-browed Owl in Itatiaia National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April and December–February, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Tawny-browed Owl?

Between 6 and 9 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Tawny-browed Owl sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.

Is Itatiaia National Park the best place to see a Tawny-browed Owl?

Yes

Of the 5 parks where we can rate Tawny-browed Owl sightings, Itatiaia National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Serra dos Órgãos National Park (Brazil, about 10%) and Iguazú National Park (Argentina, under 5%).

Where does the Tawny-browed Owl sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Tawny-browed Owl is recorded against all the birds logged in Itatiaia National Park (221 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.

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