Costa Rican Pygmy Owl

The Costa Rican pygmy owl (Glaucidium costaricanum) is a small "typical owl" in subfamily Surniinae. It is found in Costa Rica and Panama. == Taxonomy and systematics == Initially, the Costa Rican pygmy owl was described as a subspecies of the Andean pygmy owl (G. jardinii); in 2000, the North American Classification Committee (NACC), of what was then the American Ornithologists' Union (now the American Ornithological Society), accepted it as a separate species, with other taxonomic systems following-suit. The Costa Rican pygmy owl is more closely related to the northern pygmy owl complex (G. gnoma sensu lato) than to the Andean. The species is monotypic. == Description == The Costa Rican pygmy owl is around 14.5 to 17 cm (5.7 to 6.7 in) long, with males weighing about 53 to 70 g (1.9 to 2.5 oz), while the larger females weigh as much as 99 g (3.5 oz). Adults have two color morphs; one is mostly brown and the other is rufous. The head and upper body parts are a basal color with lighter, paler spots; the tail is the same color, with four white bands and a white tip. The nape has a pair of blackish spots with pale…