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Typical Owls (Strigidae)

Mottled Owl (Strix virgata) - HBW 5, p. 204

French: Chouette mouchetée German: Sprenkelkauz Spanish: Cárabo Café
Other common names: American Wood-owl

Taxonomy: Syrnium virgatum Cassin, 1849, Bogotá.
This species, along with S. nigrolineata, S. huhula, S. albitarsus and sometimes Afrotropical S. woodfordii, often placed in separate genus Ciccaba on basis of differences in external ear structure compared with Strix, but DNA studies show that generic separation not warranted. W Colombian birds sometimes separated as race minuscula. Seven subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

  • squamulata (Bonaparte, 1850) - W Mexico (Sonora to Guerrero and Guanajuato to Morelos).
  • tamaulipensis Phillips, 1911 - NE Mexico (S Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas).
  • centralis (Griscom, 1929) - E & S Mexico to W Panama.

     See all 7 subspecies
  • squamulata (Bonaparte, 1850) - W Mexico (Sonora to Guerrero and Guanajuato to Morelos).
  • tamaulipensis Phillips, 1911 - NE Mexico (S Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas).
  • centralis (Griscom, 1929) - E & S Mexico to W Panama.
  • virgata (Cassin, 1849) - E Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela and Trinidad.
  • macconnelli (Chubb, 1916) - the Guianas.
  • superciliaris (Pelzeln, 1863) - NC & NE Brazil.
  • borelliana (W. Bertoni, 1901) - SE Brazil, E Paraguay and NE Argentina (Misiones).
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