Typical Owls (Strigidae)

Variable Screech-owl (Otus atricapillus) - HBW 5, p. 181

French: Petit-duc à mèches noires German: Kappeneule Spanish: Autillo Capirotado
Other common names: Black-capped Screech-owl

Taxonomy: Strix atricapilla Temminck, 1822, Brazil.
Perhaps a member of a superspecies, along with O. guatemalae, O. vermiculatus, O. hoyi and O. sanctaecatarinae. Sometimes considered to include some or most of those as races, but all now shown to be vocally distinct, and treatment as separate species supported by DNA evidence. Southern populations have been sometimes separated as argentinus. Taxonomy of Otus in S Brazil and Argentine province of Misiones remains to be clarified. Monotypic.

Distribution: SE Brazil (S Bahia and Goiás S to Santa Catarina), SE Paraguay and extreme NE Argentina (N Misiones).