Crested Owl

Lophostrix cristata

eBird provides this description for the Crested Owl:  Uncommon but unmistakable. Large spectacular owl of humid evergreen forest in tropical lowlands and foothills. Often roosts in pairs at low levels inside the forest, sometimes in rather open situations. Roosting birds often hold their long, bushy white eyebrows flattened, but raise them when alert. At night, favors dense forest canopy. Calling birds can be very difficult to locate. Call is a short, throaty, intensifying growl, typically repeated every 5–10 seconds.

The Birds of the World Site gives the following introductory information for the Crested Owl:  The Crested Owl is a distinctive forest owl with spectacular, protruding white ear tufts that contrast with its otherwise dark plumage. It is most often detected by call, a deep, rolling growl repeated regularly. It often occurs at forest edges and clearings or along watercourses, where it apparently forages for large arthropods and perhaps small vertebrates. It is widespread from Mexico south to N Bolivia and central Brazil.

I saw my first Crested Owl (actually a pair of them) on the morning of Sunday, February 5, 2023, while on a guided tour with Tropical Birding, in some very dense tropical rain forest habitat near Donde Copé.  I believe it was Copé himself who first spotted the pair of Crested Owls and brought them to our group’s attention.  It was a thrill to view these beautiful owls in the wilds of Costa Rica.  To see my blog post that includes watching these owls near Donde Copé, look here.  Below are some of the photos I took of the pair of Crested Owls that morning.