acrylic on illustration board 10” x 8” $1,600 Common and widespread
throughout the American tropics, the Spectacled Owl (Pulsatrix
perspicillata) is found in a number of different forest types,
but is rarely seen far from heavy cover. It also seems fond of
water bodies, and typically lives near rivers, where crabs constitute
an important element of its diet. The adults are buffy below,
with rich, chocolate upperparts and breastband, and a conspicuous
white face pattern. Young birds, like the one visible in the
background, are whitish with dark faces. The female Spectacled
Owl lays one or two eggs in a tree cavity towards the end of
the dry season. Usually, just one bird survives, but suspicions
of siblicide have never been confirmed by observation. Like most
owls, the young leaves the nest long before it can fly well,
and it remains dependent on its parents for several months. |
