Buff-fronted Owl

Overview

The buff-fronted owl is a small owl found in widely separated areas across every South American country except French Guiana and Suriname. It is the only member of its genus in South America and is currently listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.

Identification

• Length 19 to 21 cm with a compact body, short tail, and large blocky head lacking ear tufts.
• Facial discs are buff with a black surround and distinctive black patches above greenish-yellow eyes.
• Nominate subspecies have a yellowish buff forehead and hindneck, chocolate brown upperparts, and blackish tail with two white bars and a white tip.
• Male song is described as a rapid, wavering trill, 'frurururururururu', while dependent fledglings give a hissing, raspy 'cheet' begging call.

Habitat

The species inhabits a variety of landscapes, including open and dry forests, forest edges, subtropical rainforests, and human-altered areas with fruit trees and palms. In the Andes, it ranges between 1,500 and 3,800 m in altitude, while in other regions it occupies elevations between approximately 600 and 1,000 m.

Diet

Specific hunting behaviours remain unstudied, but the buff-fronted owl is recorded as taking insects, rodents, birds, and other small vertebrates.

Did you know?

Although almost nothing is known about its breeding phenology, a nest was found in Brazil containing three eggs located in a dead palm within what appeared to be an abandoned parrot nest cavity.