The spectacled owl ( Pulsatrix perspicillata ) is a nocturnal bird of prey of the family Strigidae, the same family that includes eagle-owls and wood owls.
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Strigiformes |
| Family | Strigidae |
| Genus | Pulsatrix |
| Species | Pulsatrix perspicillata |
The spectacled owl (Pulsatrix perspicillata) is a nocturnal bird of prey of the family Strigidae, the same family that includes eagle-owls and wood owls. It is a large, stocky bird with a rounded head and no ear tufts, measuring 43 to 50 cm in length and weighing approximately 1 to 1.25 kg. Its most characteristic feature is the striking facial pattern that gives it its name: a dark mask edged in white around the yellow eyes and a white throat, reminiscent of a pair of spectacles, set against dark brown upperparts and paler underparts.
Juveniles look very different from adults, being mostly whitish with a black facial disc, which gradually darkens as they mature.
It inhabits the humid tropical and subtropical rainforests of the Americas, from southern Mexico to northern Argentina, including Central America, the Amazon basin and the Guianas. It occupies primary and secondary forests, montane forests and swampy wooded areas, generally in the middle and lower layers of the vegetation.
It is a nocturnal hunter with a varied diet that includes large insects, tree frogs, small mammals, bats, birds and, in mangrove areas, crabs. It hunts by ambush, perched on bare branches from which it watches its surroundings before swooping on its prey.
It nests in tree hollows or natural cavities, where the female generally lays two white eggs. Incubation lasts around 35 days and the chicks remain in the nest for five to six weeks, although they continue to depend on their parents for about a year.
Pairs often sing duets to mark their territory, with a deep, long, descending call reminiscent of the tapping of a sheet of tin, and they are especially active on full-moon nights.
