This is one famed family of owls! For years these owls have found their home very close to the houses and is seemingly found every night close to the “streetlights” where they hunt. I only had one night at Sand Isidro, but they did not fail. Both turned up and seemed to regard the humans as normal background noise.
Their fame is by the fact that they look like a mix between the Black-Banded Owl which has not been recorded above 900 metres, but only exist on the eastern slope and the western-slope-only Black-and-White Owl. The other lodges in the area are supposedly unable to record this species on their grounds, so this adds to the uniqueness and conundrum.
Fortunately and finally DNA samples have been collected, so hopefully this will settle whether or not this is a new species, or is a variation of Black-Banded Owl.
Listening to them from my bed was a wonderful way to fall asleep!
It sounds like this:
Last updated on 8 November 2024
