Black-and-white owl

This neotropical bird is a nocturnal hunter and since most of its preys can fly, it forages mostly at the canopy level of its habitat. It will first examine its surroundings by perching on an elevated branch. Then it will make short, silent flights to catch its food.[8][9] Primarily insectivorous, the black-and-white owl prefers scarab beetles (Scarabaedidae) such as dung beetles and sometimes prey upon orthopterans and cicadas (Cicadidae).[8][9] Bats such as the Jamaican fruit bat (Artibeus jamaicensis) and other small rodents also make up a large part of its diet. Furthermore, it can occasionally feed on smaller birds like trushes and tanagers as well as amphibians.[6][8][9] It is also one of the only tropical owl species reported to capture barn swallows since those are easy to catch when roosting on nearby electric lines.[10]

Its call consists of a series of rapid, guttural, low calls, followed by a short pause and a low, airy call and a faint, short hoot. Occasionally, it is shortened to just the last two notes, leaving out the opening series.[4] Moreover, the female's call usually sounds louder than the male's and individuals make fainter "hoots" near their nest. Just like their parents, younglings can produce strident cries, but also communicate by clacking their beak.[3]

When the breeding season begins in March, the monogamous pair forms after the male successfully seduces the female with wing flaps and elaborated acrobatic flights.[5][7] Then, before the severe downpours begin, the couple settles on an isolated tree to protect their offspring from climbing predators and use epiphytes and flower arrangements (e.g., orchids) as their nest.[3][7] While the female incubates the clutch of one or two eggs, the male goes foraging for the pair and fiercely defends the nest, even from nearby humans. Sometimes, the female will tag along with her mate when she is not coveting.[5][7][8] The eggs are dull, whitish and weight about 33.8 g (usually 6% of the female’s body mass) with an average length and width of 46.4 and 38.4 mm (1.83 and 1.51 in) respectively.[3][11] The black-and-white owl is one of the only owl to lay a single egg which relates to the fact that clutch size lowers as a species lives closer to the Equator, thus explaining its low reproductive success.[7] After an incubation period of at least 30 days, the chicks hatch in April.[3][7] They harbour white down feathers, pink feet and beak and weight around 28 g after 2 days. They first open their eyes at 14 days old as the black bars on their wings start to develop. Chicks also have a low chance of survival as they can be preyed upon by tayras, ocelots, coatis, falcons and hawks.[3]