Megascops barbarus

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AVES	STRIGIFORMES	STRIGIDAE

Scientific Name:

Megascops barbarus

Species Authority:

(Sclater & Salvin, 1868)

Common Name/s:

English	–	Bearded Screech-owl, Bearded Screech Owl, Bearded Screech-Owl, Santa Barbara Screech-Owl
Spanish	–	Autillo Barbudo, Tecolote Barbudo

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Vulnerable B1ab(i,ii,iii,v) ver 3.1

Year Published:

2012

Assessor/s:

BirdLife International

Reviewer/s:

Butchart, S. & Symes, A.

Contributor/s:

Bubb, P., Eisermann, K. & Enríquez, P.

Justification:
This species has been uplisted to Vulnerable because its range (extent of occurrence - EOO) has been more accurately calculated using new field data (Eisermann 2011); the bird is now known to have a small (9,780 km²) range, within which its pine-oak montane forest habitat is rapidly disappearing (Cayuela et al. 2006). As a consequence, its EOO, area of occupancy (AOO) and quality of habitat are inferred to be declining, and its habitat is now highly fragmented (Eisermann 2011). It is thus considered Vulnerable.

History:

2008	–	Near Threatened
2004	–	Near Threatened

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Megascops barbarus is endemic to the highlands of Chiapas, south-east Mexico, and west Guatemala (Howell and Webb 1995a, del Hoyo et al. 1999).
Countries:	Native: Guatemala; Mexico
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	Partners in Flight estimated the population to number fewer than 50,000 individuals (A. Panjabi in litt. 2008), thus it is placed in the band 20,000-49,999 individuals here.
Population Trend:	Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	This species is found in montane evergreen and humid pine-oak forest at elevations of 1,800-2,500 m (Howell and Webb 1995a). In Guatemala is also occurs in ten year old pine plantations (Eisermann 2011). Its diet consists mainly of large insects, particularly beetles, which are captured in the understorey by a sit-and-wait strategy (Enríquez & Cheng 2008). Breeding likely takes place between March and June (Enríquez & Cheng 2008). The only known nest was found in June 2001 2.45 m above ground in a natural cavity of a large living oak Quercus laurina; inside was an adult red-morph female brooding a single grey-morph nestling estimated to be 3 weeks old (Enríquez & Cheng 2008). Birds moult in the rainy season, from July to October (Enríquez & Cheng 2008).
Systems:	Terrestrial

Habitat and Ecology:

This species is found in montane evergreen and humid pine-oak forest at elevations of 1,800-2,500 m (Howell and Webb 1995a). In Guatemala is also occurs in ten year old pine plantations (Eisermann 2011). Its diet consists mainly of large insects, particularly beetles, which are captured in the understorey by a sit-and-wait strategy (Enríquez & Cheng 2008). Breeding likely takes place between March and June (Enríquez & Cheng 2008). The only known nest was found in June 2001 2.45 m above ground in a natural cavity of a large living oak Quercus laurina; inside was an adult red-morph female brooding a single grey-morph nestling estimated to be 3 weeks old (Enríquez & Cheng 2008). Birds moult in the rainy season, from July to October (Enríquez & Cheng 2008).

Systems:

Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	Pine-oak forest is disappearing rapidly through logging for firewood and charcoal, agricultural expansion, urbanization and bark-beetle epidemics that are exacerbated by habitat degradation (Stattersfield et al. 1998, Ochoa-Gaona and González-Espinosa 2000). Civil war in Chiapas, Mexico, accelerated deforestation (P. J. Bubb in litt. 1997).

Major Threat(s):

Pine-oak forest is disappearing rapidly through logging for firewood and charcoal, agricultural expansion, urbanization and bark-beetle epidemics that are exacerbated by habitat degradation (Stattersfield et al. 1998, Ochoa-Gaona and González-Espinosa 2000). Civil war in Chiapas, Mexico, accelerated deforestation (P. J. Bubb in litt. 1997).

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	Conservation Actions Underway CITES Appendix II. No other targeted conservation action is known for this species. Conservation Actions Proposed Carry out surveys to assess the species's population size. Monitor population trends through regular surveys. Monitor rates of habitat loss and degradation. Study the species's ecology (del Hoyo et al. 1999). Protect suitable habitat. Future research should focus on the breeding ecology, life history strategies, demography, and population trends to evaluate the conservation status of this species; this work will be essential for a better understanding of how habitat degradation may be affecting this species’ survival (Enríquez & Cheng 2008).

Conservation Actions:

Conservation Actions Underway
CITES Appendix II. No other targeted conservation action is known for this species.

Conservation Actions Proposed
Carry out surveys to assess the species's population size. Monitor population trends through regular surveys. Monitor rates of habitat loss and degradation. Study the species's ecology (del Hoyo et al. 1999). Protect suitable habitat. Future research should focus on the breeding ecology, life history strategies, demography, and population trends to evaluate the conservation status of this species; this work will be essential for a better understanding of how habitat degradation may be
affecting this species’ survival (Enríquez & Cheng 2008).

Citation:	BirdLife International 2012. Megascops barbarus. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 24 May 2013.
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