Birds · La Saladita, Guerrero

Mottled Owl

Strix virgata

Spanish: Búho café

Mottled Owl (Strix virgata)
Photographed by zihuadean on iNaturalist · CC-BY-NC

The mottled owl (Strix virgata) is a medium-sized owl found in Central and South America from Mexico to Brazil and Argentina. The head and back are mottled brown and the underparts whitish, with vertical bars on the chest and throat. The eyes are dark and the head is round and they do not have ear tufts. They are territorial and found in dry forests and jungles up to 2,500 m (8,200 ft) above sea level. Most often recorded in Jan.

TaxonomyAves › Strigiformes › Strigidae
Local records1 research-grade observation within about 50 km of La Saladita (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones)
Global records3,128 on iNaturalist
Recorded here2026 – 2026
Months recorded near La Saladita
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Recent local sightings

Interactive card with more photos, sounds and similar species Birds guide iNaturalist Wikipedia

Cite as: “Mottled Owl (Strix virgata) at La Saladita”, La Saladita Field Guide, lasaladita.com/species/strix-virgata/, updated 2026-09-26. Observation counts and months come from iNaturalist research-grade records within about 50 km of 17.8375°N, 101.7606°W (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones); summary text from Wikipedia where present.