RAPTORS of South America
Raptors are carnivorous. They hunt by sight during the day, are long lived, and have low reproductive rates. The catch their prey via strong claws – three pointing forward and one pointing backward.
The raptors that hunt by day are: hawks, eagle, buzzards, harriers, kites, vultures, falcons, caracaras. Owls hunt by night. Raptors are also called birds of prey.
OWLS
Order Strigiformes
Owls are found on all continents except Antarctica. Owls are divided into two families: the typical owls, Strigidae; and the barn-owls, Tytonidae. They range in size from 13-70 cm. Owls do not construct nests, but rather look for a sheltered nesting site or an abandoned nest in trees, underground burrows, or in buildings, barns and caves.
Owls are solitary and nocturnal. They hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds though a few species specialize in hunting fish. Most hunt for prey only in the darkness. Much of the owls' hunting strategy depends on stealth and surprise. They are very quiet in flight plus they have dull colors. Owls have large forward-facing eyes and ear-holes, a hawk-like beak, a flat face, and usually a conspicuous circle of feathers around each eye. The facial disc helps to funnel the sound of prey to their ears. Although owls have binocular vision, their large eyes are fixed in their sockets, as with other birds, and they must turn their entire head to change views. Owls can rotate their heads and necks as much as 270 degrees in either direction.
Family Strigidae
The owls in the Strigidae family are known as the true owls or the typical owls. See above for their description.
Genus Asio
Owl, Short-eared Asio flammeus Found: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa
Photographed by: 1) Winnu 2) Caryn - Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos, Ecuador
3, 4) Dick Daniels - Carolina Raptor Center 5) Dario Sanches - Brazil
Genus Athene
Owl, Burrowing Athene cunicularia Found: The Americas
Photographed by: 1, 4) Alan D Wilson - Farm Road Off SR17, Near Othello, Washington
2) Dick Daniels - Center for Birds of Prey, Charleston, South Carolina 3) Dick Daniels - San Diego Zoo
Genus Bubo
Owl, Great Horned Bubo virginianus Found: North America, South America
Photographed by: 1, 2) Dick Daniels - Carolina Raptor Center 3) Dick - Carolina Raptor Center
4) Dick - Brookfield Gardens, South Carolina 5, 6) Dick - Sunset Beach, NC
6) Owlet
Genus Ciccaba
Owl, Black-and-white Ciccaba nigrolineata Found: South America
Photographed by: Len Blumin
Owl, Mottled Ciccaba virgata Found: South America
Photographed by: 1, 2) Dominic Sherony
Genus Glaucidium
Owl, Austral Pygmy Glaucidium nanum Found: South America
Photographed by: Joshua Stone - Chile
Owl, Ferruginous Pygmy Glaucidium brasilianum Found: The Americas
Photographed by: 1) Pato Garza - Mexico 2) Dave Govoni - Belize 3) Dominic Sherony 4) Alastair Rae - Mexico
1) Fledgling
Genus Lophostrix - 1 species
Owl, Crested Lophostrix cristata Found: Central and South America
Photographed by: Dominic Sherony - Panama
Genus Megascops
Screech Owls
Owl, Tropical Screech- Megascops choliba Found: South America
Photographed by: 1) Dominic Sherony - La Mesa, Coclé, Panama
Genus Pulsatrix
Owl, Spectacled Pulsatrix perspicillata Found: South America
Photographed by: 1, 2, 3) Dick Daniels - Carolina Raptor Center
Owl, Tawny-browed Pulsatrix koeniswaldiana Found: South America
Photographed by: 1, 2) Dario Sanches - Brazil
Order Strigiformes Family Tytonidae
Barn-owls are medium to large sized owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long, strong legs with powerful talons. They also differ from Strigidae owls in structural details relating in particular to the sternum and feet.
Genus Tyto
Owl, Barn Tyto alba Found: North America and almost everywhere else in the world
Photographed by: 1, 3, 4) Dick Daniels - Carolina Raptor Center 2, 4, 7) Dick Daniels - Carolina Raptor Center 5) Dick - Center for Birds of Prey,
6, 8) Dick - Eagle Encounters, South Africa
All photos on this site are available for general use. Please credit the photographer. Some images have additional constraints such as no commercial use or no modifications. Click the photo credit link for details. Dick Daniels, webmaster.