Strix nigrolineata
The Black-and-white Owl (*Strix nigrolineata*) is a strikingly patterned, medium-sized neotropical owl, easily identified by its bold black and white barring across its entire plumage. Measuring approximately 35-40 cm (13.8-15.7 inches) in length with a weight typically ranging from 400-500 grams, it features dark sooty-black upperparts heavily marked with white, and clean white underparts distinctly barred with black, particularly on the breast and flanks. Its dark facial disc is bordered by...
This owl primarily inhabits humid evergreen and semi-deciduous forests, favoring forest edges, clearings with scattered trees, and riparian woodlands from lowlands up to elevations of about 1,600 meters.
Its diet consists mainly of small mammals like rodents and bats, large insects, small birds, reptiles (lizards, snakes), and amphibians, captured using its powerful talons.
The Black-and-white Owl is strictly nocturnal, spending its days roosting quietly in dense foliage, often close to the trunk of a large tree, where its intricate plumage provides excellent camouflage. It employs a classic sit-and-wait foraging strategy, perching motionlessly on a branch scanning ...
The Black-and-white Owl is a resident species, with its range extending from southern Mexico, specifically Oaxaca and Chiapas, southward through all of Central America. This continuous distribution covers Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. From Panama, it...
Least Concern
- The Black-and-white Owl's striking plumage pattern, a bold checkerboard of black and white, is one of the most distinctive among all owl species in the Neotropics. - Unlike many owls that have ear tufts for camouflage or display, the Black-and-white Owl conspicuously lacks them, relying on its ...