Megascops watsonii
Silhouette: Jason Dilworth · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The tawny-bellied screech owl (Megascops watsonii) is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. The tawny-bellied screech owl was described by the American ornithologist John Cassin in 1849 and given the binomial name Ephialtes watsonii. It was later placed in genus Otus and later still the New World members of that genus were transferred to Megascops.
The tawny-bellied screech owl is part of a complex of species that includes the Santa Marta screech owl (M. gilesi), West Peruvian screech owl (M. roboratus), black-capped screech owl (M. atricapilla), and perhaps other undescribed species. The latter has been suggested as a species in its own right.
The tawny-bellied screech owl is 19 to 24 cm (7.5 to 9.4 in) long. The nominate subspecies weighs 114 to 155 g (4.0 to 5.5 oz) and M. w. usta 115 to 141 g (4.1 to 5.0 oz). The nominate has a dark buff facial disc with a thin darker border, dark buff brows over dark yellow eyes, and longish broad "ear" tufts. The crown... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 2 | Tambopata National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 3 | Amacayacu National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 4 | Yasuní National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 5 | Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 6 | Amboró National Park | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 7 | Anavilhanas National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 8 | Brownsberg Nature Park | 🇸🇷 Suriname |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mangal das Garças | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Tawny-bellied Screech-Owl sighting in Tambopata National Reserve on a given day, based on 494 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 81st most-seen of the 550 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Tawny-bellied Screech-Owl in Tambopata National Reserve on a given day, against about 10% in April, June and August–January, the lowest months.
Between 10 pm and 1 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Tawny-bellied Screech-Owl sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
2nd of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Tawny-bellied Screech-Owl sightings, Tambopata National Reserve ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Manu National Park (Peru, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Tawny-bellied Screech-Owl is recorded against all the birds logged in Tambopata National Reserve (494 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.
