Chaco Owl

The Chaco owl is 35 to 38 cm (14 to 15 in) long. Males weigh 360 to 435 g (12.7 to 15.3 oz) and females 420 to 500 g (15 to 18 oz). It has a round head with no ear tufts. Adults have a pale grayish white facial disk with concentric dark lines. Their upperparts are dusky brownish black with narrow white and yellowish buff barring. Their underparts are off-white with dark brown barring. The tail is dark grayish brown with narrow pale bars.

The Chaco owl is found in southern South America, from Bolivia's Santa Cruz Department south through western Paraguay into north-central Argentina as far as Córdoba and Buenos Aires provinces. Its elevational range is not well known, but in Argentina it is found between 500 and 1,300 m (1,600 and 4,300 ft). It inhabits the Gran Chaco, a biome characterized by low rainfall. The species is found there in hilly, rolling, and flat terrain with a wide variety of forest types, both dense and semi-open.

The Chaco owl is primarily nocturnal but is vocally active at dawn and dusk. It hunts from a perch, dropping on or flying to small mammals, birds, reptiles, and invertebrates.