Central American Pygmy Owl
Photo © Roger A. Morales-Flores
Photo © Roger A. Morales-Flores — CC BY 4.0 — Source: iNaturalist #204214770The Central American pygmy owl (Glaucidium griseiceps) is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama. == Taxonomy and systematics == The International Ornithological Committee (IOC) treats the Central American pygmy owl as monotypic. However, the Clements taxonomy and Handbook of the Birds of the World recognize three subspecies, the nominate Glaucidium griseiceps, G. g. occultum, and G. g. rarum. == Description == The Central American pygmy owl is 13 to 18 cm (5.1 to 7.1 in) long. Males weigh 50.6 to 58.8 g (1.78 to 2.07 oz) and females about 56 g (2.0 oz). Adults' crown and nape are grayish brown; the crown has buff to whitish spots and the nape dark "false eyes". Their upperparts and tail are rich brown and the tail has pale bars across it. Their underparts are whitish with reddish brown streaks. The juvenile's crown and nape are gray; the crown is unspotted and the nape's false eyes are sooty. == Distribution and habitat == The Central American pygmy owl is found from Veracruz, Oaxaca, and Chiapas in southern Mexico through Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Panama into…
Arenal Volcano National Park
Peñas Blancas, Costa Rica
+551 birds+21 mammals
Straddling the border between Alajuela and Guanacaste in northwestern Costa Rica, this national park rises dramatically around one of Central America's most active volcanic systems. The…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKTortuguero National Park
Roxana, Costa Rica
+420 birds+23 mammals
Canals and lagoons thread through a labyrinth of lowland rainforest where the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica meets the wetland frontier. This is terrain shaped by…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKBraulio Carrillo National Park
Las Horquetas, Costa Rica
+547 birds+18 mammals
Where the Caribbean slope descends from the central volcanic cordillera toward the humid lowlands of Heredia, Braulio Carrillo National Park preserves one of Costa Rica's most…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKGuanacaste National Park
Santa Elena, Costa Rica
+461 birds+17 mammals
Where the Pacific slopes of northwestern Costa Rica rise toward the Continental Divide, dry tropical forest gives way to cloud-laden peaks and misty ridges—a landscape that…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKSoberanía National Park
Cristóbal, Panama
+495 birds+34 mammals
Rainforest and riverine woodland blanket the rolling terrain of this 714-square-kilometre national park in Colón Province, where the Caribbean watershed feeds a maze of streams and…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKChagres National Park
Caimitillo, Panama
+486 birds+19 mammals
Where the Chagres River carves through the humid tropics of central Panama, a vast montane and lowland forest sprawls across more than 2,300 square kilometers, anchoring…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKDarién National Park
Tucutí, Panama
+534 birds+13 mammals
Where the spine of Central America crumbles into wetland and rainforest, Darién National Park sprawls across more than 20,000 square kilometres of some of the tropics'…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKPortobelo National Park
Portobelo, Panama
+366 birds+9 mammals
Where the Caribbean's turquoise waters meet the Darién's verdant shore, Portobelo National Park sprawls across 570 square kilometers of coastal forest, mangrove wetland, and coral-fringed islands…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKMontes Azules
Candelaria, Mexico
+395 birds+47 mammals
Where jungle-clad limestone plateaus plunge into canyon systems carved by the Usumacinta River, Mexico's most pristine rainforest reserve unfolds across the Lacandón region of Chiapas. Montes…
VIEW BIOSPHERE RESERVETikal National Park
Tikal, Guatemala
+399 birds+16 mammals
Dense rainforest canopy rises above the limestone plateau of Petén, where archaeological wonder and ecological richness merge seamlessly across one of Central America's most biodiverse landscapes.…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKLaguna del Tigre National Park
Petén, Guatemala
+399 birds+29 mammals
Where the Petén lowlands dissolve into wetland and forest, Laguna del Tigre National Park protects one of Guatemala's most ecologically vital landscapes. This sprawling reserve encompasses…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKSierra del Lacandón National Park
Petén, Guatemala
+348 birds+7 mammals
Where the Petén rainforest rises into limestone ridges and deep ravines, Sierra del Lacandón National Park protects one of Central America's most intact tropical wilderness zones.…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKCahuita National Park
Talamanca, Costa Rica
+359 birds+15 mammals
Where the Caribbean shoreline dissolves into mangrove creeks and coral gardens, Cahuita's mosaic of habitats unfolds across the Limón coast. The park's signature feature—a living coral…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKRincón de la Vieja National Park
Liberia, Costa Rica
+451 birds+30 mammals
Where volcanic slopes rise abruptly from the Guanacaste lowlands, Rincón de la Vieja National Park sprawls across a landscape shaped by geothermal drama and seasonal extremes.…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKLa Amistad International Park
Crorina, Costa Rica
+532 birds+20 mammals
Where the Caribbean slopes of Costa Rica's Talamanca Mountains rise steeply inland from Limón, the boundary between two nations dissolves into an unbroken expanse of rainforest.…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKBarbilla National Park
Chirripó, Costa Rica
+226 birds
Where the Caribbean slope of Costa Rica's eastern cordillera plunges into perpetual moisture, Barbilla National Park rises as one of Central America's most water-rich ecosystems. Fed…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKVolcán Tenorio National Park
Guatuso, Costa Rica
+480 birds+12 mammals
Where volcanic slopes rise through Costa Rica's northwestern borderlands, Volcán Tenorio National Park sprawls across terrain shaped by ancient lava flows and mineral-rich springs. The park's…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKCaño Negro National Wildlife Refuge
Caño Negro District, Costa Rica
+486 birds+16 mammals
Where the San Juan River's seasonal floodplain opens into expansive wetlands, Caño Negro Wildlife Sanctuary sprawls across one of Central America's most productive freshwater ecosystems. This…
VIEW WILDLIFE SANCTUARYGandoca-Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge
Manzanillo, Costa Rica
+394 birds+18 mammals
Where the Caribbean coastal plain surrenders to water-logged forest and mangrove tangles, Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Sanctuary shelters one of Costa Rica's most biodiverse lowland wetland ecosystems. The…
VIEW WILDLIFE SANCTUARYBarra del Colorado National Wildlife Refuge
Tortuguero, Costa Rica
+462 birds+36 mammals
Where the Caribbean's restless waters meet the Limón Province coastline, Barra del Colorado National Wildlife Sanctuary unfolds across a landscape of extraordinary ecological complexity. This equatorial…
VIEW WILDLIFE SANCTUARYNo community photos yet. Log in to add the first one.
No community observations of this species yet.