Black-and-white Owl

The Black-and-white Owl is a visually striking wood owl of lowland tropical forest from Central America into northwestern South America, named for its bold, high-contrast black-and-white barred plumage. Unlike eagle-owls, it has no ear tufts, and its rounded head is set off by a bright yellow-orange facial disc and matching bill.

It favors tall, humid forest and forest edge, including areas near water, and is more often heard than seen given its nocturnal and somewhat secretive habits despite its bold coloration. When roosting quietly in dense canopy foliage by day, its strong contrast pattern can still make it more conspicuous than many other cryptically colored forest owls.

Its feathers are among the most distinctively patterned of any Neotropical owl, and the crisp black-and-white barring readily separates them from the more muted, blended tones of related wood owls in the same region.

Size and shape

Medium feathers from a bird 33-38 cm long, with broad, rounded flight feathers and no ear-tuft feathers, typical of Strix wood owls.

Color and pattern

• Plumage shows crisp, high-contrast black-and-white barring throughout the upperparts, underparts, wings, and tail.
• The barring is fine and regular, giving a strongly striped or barred appearance unlike the blended mottling of related species.
• The facial disc is a bright yellow-orange, though this soft tissue coloration is not present on shed feathers themselves; facial disc feathers are whitish with dark rims.
• Shafts are dark.

Distinguishing from similar species

Compared to the Mottled Owl, Black-and-white Owl feathers show much crisper, higher-contrast black-and-white barring rather than soft blended brown mottling, making this one of the more readily identifiable Neotropical wood owl feather patterns.

Adults show crisp black-and-white barring throughout the body, wings, and tail, with a bright yellow-orange facial disc and bill visible on the living bird. Sexes look alike. Juveniles are paler and downier with less crisply defined barring. Molt follows breeding on an annual cycle.

This species is found from southern Mexico through Central America into northwestern South America, favoring tall lowland tropical forest and forest edge, often near rivers or wetlands. It is generally resident within forest territories.

Black-and-white Owls hunt insects, small vertebrates, and occasionally bats at night, often near forest edges, clearings, or watercourses where prey concentrates. They roost by day in dense canopy foliage. The call is a deep, resonant series of hoots. Nests are placed in tree cavities. When identifying a feather, look for the crisp, evenly spaced black-and-white barring throughout, which sets this species apart from the more blended mottled patterns of related Neotropical wood owls.