The Stygian owl (Asio stygius) is a medium-sized "typical owl" in subfamily Striginae. It is found in Mexico, parts of Central America, Cuba, Hispaniola, and 10 countries in South America.
Taxonomy and systematics
The Stygian owl has these six recognized subspecies:
A. s. lambi Moore, RT (1937)
A. s. robustus Kelso, L (1934)
A. s. siguapa d'Orbigny (1839), common name siguapa
A. s. noctipetens Riley (1916)
A. s. stygius Wagler (1832)
A. s. barberoi Bertoni, AW (1930)
Description
The Stygian owl is 38 to 46 cm (15 to 18 in) long and weighs about 400 to 675 g (14 to 24 oz). The sexes have similar very dark plumage. (The adjective "Stygian" means "of, or relating to, the River Styx", but is more widely applied to anything that is dark or dismal.) The face is blackish with a pale border and a whitish forehead, and the head has long dark feathers that project upward as "ears". The dark upperparts have buff streaks and bars; the underparts are a dingy buff with dark brown or blackish barring and streaks. The eye is shades of yellow, the bill blue-black to blackish, and the feet dark grayish or brownish pink. Its eyes may appear to be a shade of crimson under certain lighting due to their reflective nature. The subspecies are substantially alike, differing mostly in the shade of the upperparts' streaks and somewhat in size.
Distribution and habitat
The subspecies of Stygian owl are found thus (but see the text below the list):
A. s. lambi, northwestern Mexico from Sonora and Chihuahua south to Jalisco
A. s. robustus, discontinuously from Guerrero and Veracruz in Mexico south into northern Nicaragua
A. s. siguapa, mainland Cuba and Isla de la Juventud (Isle of Pines)
A. s. noctipetens, mainland Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti) and Gonâve Island
A. s. stygius, Colombia and Venezuela south to Bolivia and discontinuously in central and southern Brazil
A. s. barberoi, Paraguay and northern Argentina
In addition, the Stygian owl has been documented as a vagrant in Texas, Florida, and...
