Bearded Screech-Owl

Mexican Owls Checklist

A Reference for Mexican Owls

Convenient Owl Checklists

The checklists below include all owls that are possible in Mexico. All owls, except Short-eared Owl, are resident somewhere in the country year-round. Short-eared Owl is strictly a winter visitor. Mexico has five endemic owl species giving it the highest number of endemic owls of any country in Central or North America. The Lists are sorted by Common Name, Scientific Name, Taxonomic Order, and Size. This is intended to help the reader find an owl by what they know, read, or see. Special color codes have also been added to the lists. Owls that are endemic are color coded green. Short-eared Owl that is migratory and only present during the winter is color coded blue. The common and scientific names are sorted alphabetically. The taxonomic list is sorted as they are classified in science. The size list sorts the owls by size (length) which may help the reader find an owl they see by its size. All owls are linked to their individual pages that have pictures, calls, video, range maps, and discussion about the species.

Click on the Owl Species below to bring up each main owl page.

Size (largest to smallest)

Great Horned Owl – B. virginianus (17.7-25.2 in.)
Barred Owl – S. varia (18.9-21.7 in.)
Spectacled Owl – P. perspicillata (16.9-20.5 in.)
Spotted Owl – S. occidentalis (16.1-18.9 in.)
Fulvous Owl – S. fulvescens (16.1-17.3 in.)
Stygian Owl – A. stygius (15.0-18.1 in.)
Crested Owl – L. cristata (15.0-16.9 in.)
Short-eared Owl – A. flammeus (13.4-16.5 in.)
Black-and-White Owl – S. nigrolineata (13.8-15.7 in.)
Long-eared Owl – A. otus (13.8-15.7 in.)
Barn Owl – T. alba (13.4-15.0 in.)
Mexican Wood Owl (Mottled Owl) – S. squamulata (C. virgata) (11.8-15.0 in.)
Striped Owl – A. clamator (11.8-15.0 in.)
Balsas Screech-Owl – M seductus (9.4-10.6 in.)
Pacific Screech-Owl – M. cooperi (9.1-10.2 in.)
Western Screech-Owl – M. kennicottii (8.3-9.4)
Burrowing Owl – A. cunicularia (7.5-9.8 in.)
Guatemalan Screech-Owl – M. guatemalae (7.9-9.1 in.)
Oaxaca Screech-Owl – M. lambi (7.9-8.7 in.)
Eastern Screech-Owl – M. asio (7.1-9.1 in.)
Unspotted Saw-whet Owl – A. ridgwayi (7.1-7.9 in.)
Northern Saw-whet Owl – A. acadicus (6.7-7.5 in.)
Ridgway’s (Ferruginous) Pygmy-Owl – G. brasilianum (6.7-7.5 in.)
Whiskered Screech-Owl – M. trichopsis (6.7-7.5 in.)
Bearded Screech-Owl – M. barbarus (6.7-7.1 in.)
Flammulated Owl – P. flammeolus (6.3-7.1 in.)
Guatemalan Pygmy-Owl – G. cobanense (6.3-7.1 in.)
Cape Pygmy-Owl – G. hoskinsii (5.9-6.7 in.)
Mountain Pygmy-Owl – G. gnoma (5.9-6.7 in.)
Central American Pygmy-Owl – G. griseiceps (5.5-6.3 in.)
Tamaulipas Pygmy-Owl – G. sanchezi (5.1-6.3 in.)
Colima Pygmy-Owl- G. palmarum (5.1-5.9 in.)
Elf Owl – M. whitneyi (4.7-5.5 in.)