Photo: biolsamuel / CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Balsas Screech Owl
Megascops seductus
Balsas Screech Owl (Megascops seductus) — Owls of Central America & Caribbean.
Found across 2 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Balsas Screech Owl (Megascops seductus) is a member of the Strigidae family found in Central America & Caribbean. Adults weigh 160 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Strigiformes
- Family Strigidae Owls
- Genus Megascops
- Species seductus
Quick facts
- Weight
- 160 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Strigidae
- Order
- Strigiformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Balsas Screech Owl is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open woodland, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Balsas Screech Owl is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Balsas Screech Owl (Megascops seductus) is a member of the Strigidae family, within the order Strigiformes. Its range spans Central America & Caribbean. Its distribution covers MA sw Mexico.
It is a medium-sized bird. Adults weighs around 160 g, with a wing length of about 17.4 cm and a tail of around 9.3 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 91,000 km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Balsas Screech Owl?
The Balsas Screech Owl is a medium-sized bird that weighs around 160 g.
Where does the Balsas Screech Owl live?
The Balsas Screech Owl is found across Central America & Caribbean with a range covering MA sw Mexico, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Balsas Screech Owl belong to?
The Balsas Screech Owl (Megascops seductus) belongs to the Strigidae family, in the order Strigiformes.
What does the Balsas Screech Owl eat?
The Balsas Screech Owl is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Balsas Screech Owl migrate?
The Balsas Screech Owl is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Balsas Screech Owl endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Balsas Screech Owl make?
1 real field recording of the Balsas Screech Owl — including its duet — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Balsas Screech Owl's range?
The Balsas Screech Owl has a mapped global range of about 91,000 km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
Meet the Strigidae
A field guide to the Strigidae family — 236 species in the Birbs encyclopedia, with the best-known members to start with.