Photo: no rights reserved / CC0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Yungas Screech Owl
Megascops hoyi
Yungas Screech Owl (Megascops hoyi) — Owls of South America.
Found across 2 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Yungas Screech Owl (Megascops hoyi) is a member of the Strigidae family found in South America. Adults weigh 110 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 hoyi
Quick facts
- Weight
- 110 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Strigidae
- Order
- Strigiformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Vulnerable
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Yungas Screech Owl is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of dense forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Yungas Screech Owl is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Yungas Screech Owl (Megascops hoyi) belongs to the Strigidae family of the order Strigiformes. It is found across South America. Its distribution covers SA s Bolivia to nw Argentina.
It is a medium-sized bird. Adults weighs around 110 g, with a wing length of about 17.1 cm and a tail of around 9.1 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 54,000 km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Yungas Screech Owl?
The Yungas Screech Owl is a medium-sized bird that weighs around 110 g.
Where does the Yungas Screech Owl live?
The Yungas Screech Owl is found across South America with a range covering SA s Bolivia to nw Argentina, where it is typically found in wooded and forested habitats.
What family does the Yungas Screech Owl belong to?
The Yungas Screech Owl (Megascops hoyi) belongs to the Strigidae family, in the order Strigiformes.
What does the Yungas Screech Owl eat?
The Yungas Screech Owl is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Yungas Screech Owl migrate?
The Yungas Screech Owl is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Yungas 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 Yungas Screech Owl make?
1 real field recording of the Yungas Screech Owl — including its song — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Yungas Screech Owl's range?
The Yungas Screech Owl has a mapped global range of about 54,000 km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
Explore more birds
More in Strigidae
Least Concern
Least Concern
Vulnerable
Least Concern
More in Owls
Least Concern
Least Concern
Critically Endangered
Vulnerable
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.