The genus Megascops comprises small to medium-sized owls, commonly known as screech owls for their piercing calls , that inhabit a wide variety of habitats. They are found mainly in mountainous areas, such as the Andes and the Central American highlands.
Previous studies have suggested that the tawny-bellied screech owl ( Megascops watsonii ), which is widespread in the Amazonian lowlands, could include more than one species. They have also suggested that the black-headed screech owl ( Megascops atricapilla ), which is endemic to the Atlantic Forest, is closely related to the tawny-bellied screech owl complex.
In the study, ornithologists compared screech owls from the Amazon and Atlantic forests and found that there were variations in the sounds they made, indicative of different species. They also examined their physical appearance and took tissue samples so they could study the DNA.
In total, 252 specimens, 83 tape recordings, and 49 genetic samples were analyzed. Examination of the data led them to describe two new species: the Xingu screech owl ( Megascops stangiae ) and the Alagoas screech owl ( Megascops alagoensis ) . While these two species are new to science, they are already in danger of extinction.
“Both species are threatened by deforestation,” says Jason Weckstein, associate curator of ornithology at the Academy of Natural Sciences at Drexel University and a researcher in the Department of Biodiversity, Land and Environmental Sciences at Drexel University. “The Xingu screech owl is endemic to the area most severely burned in the Amazon by the unprecedented fires of 2019, and the Alagoas screech owl should be considered critically endangered given the extensive fragmentation of the forest in the very small area where it occurs.”
Reference: Sidnei M. Dantas et al. 2021. Multi-character taxonomic review, systematics, and biogeography of the Black-capped / Tawny-bellied Screech Owl (Megascops atricapilla-M. Watsonii) complex (Aves: Strigidae). Zootaxa 4949 (3); doi: 10.11646 / zootaxa.4949.3.1
