The Pacific Screech-owl reaches higher in Costa Rica

The Pacific Screech-Owl (Megascops cooperi) occurs in a relatively narrow strip along the Pacific coast from southwestern Mexico (Oaxaca and Chiapas) to northwestern Costa Rica (mostly Guanacaste). It is a resident of dry forest types, and also mangroves locally, mostly in the lowlands but sometimes as high as 1000 m above sea level (Garrigues & Dean 2007, Holt et al. 2016). However, in December 2015 I took the accompanying photograph outside the town of Santa Elena, Costa Rica (Monteverde area), at an altitude of roughly 1300 m. The bird was shown to me by Adrián Arroyo, a local bird guide who had been aware of the presence of the species in this locality for at least two years. I have not seen any literature documenting this.

References

Garrigues, R. & Dean, R. (2007). The Birds of Costa Rica. A Field Guide. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York.

Holt, D.W., Berkley, R., Deppe, C., Enríquez Rocha, P., Petersen, J.L., Rangel Salazar, J.L., Segars, K.P. & Wood, K.L. (2016). Pacific Screech-owl (Megascops cooperi). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.