Megascops centralis
Silhouette: Jason Dilworth · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The Chocó screech owl (Megascops centralis) is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found from central Panama to western Ecuador. The Chocó screech owl's taxonomy has undergone numerous changes. It has variously been treated as embedded in or a subspecies of the original Otus guatemalae and then as a subspecies of O. vermiculatus when that was split from O. guatemalae. In the early 2000s, all of the New World members of Otus were assigned to Megascops. As of 2019, the International Ornithological Committee (IOC), the North and South American Classification Committees of the American Ornithological Society (AOS), and the Clements taxonomy treat it as a separate species, Megascops centralis.
However, BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World treats it as being embedded within M. vermiculatus vermiculatus, the nominate subspecies of vermiculated screech owl. The Chocó screech owl is monotypic.
The Chocó screech owl is 20.5 to 27 cm (8.1 to 10.6 in) long; two specimens weighed 106.7 and 121.5 g (3.76 and 4.29 oz). It has gray and rufous color morphs and many individuals' plumages are intermediate between the extremes... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darién National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 2 | Soberanía National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 3 | Piedras Blancas National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Chocó Screech-Owl sighting in Piedras Blancas National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 329th most-seen of the 344 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Chocó Screech-Owl in Piedras Blancas National Park 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 Chocó Screech-Owl sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Chocó Screech-Owl sightings, Piedras Blancas National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Darién National Park (Panama, about 10%) and Soberanía National Park (Panama, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Chocó Screech-Owl is recorded against all the birds logged in Piedras Blancas National Park (8 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.
