Home > Animals > About the Animals > Birds > Owls > Spectacled Owl

Spectacled Owl

spectacled_owl_sm.jpg: Adult spectacled owl
spectacled_owl01_sm.jpg: Juvenile spectacled owl
Range: Southern Mexico to tropical South America
Habitat: Forests, woodlands, savannas, plantations
Conservation Status: Common
Scientific Name: Pulsatrix perspicillata

This owl gets its name from the pattern of feathers around its eyes -- they make it look like it’s wearing spectacles! Like most owls, the spectacled owl is active mostly at night. It’s an efficient hunter, feeding on mammals, insects, and other birds.

Young spectacled owls (known as owlets) are mostly white with a dark face mask.They look so different from the adults they were once thought to be a separate species.

Fun Fact

The Saint Louis Zoo has hatched so many of these owls that they have gone to many other zoos around the world.