Typical owls | Strigidae

Echte uilen | Búhos y cárabos

The facial disc is round and the eyes are large, with an iris ranging from yellow to almost black; several species carry two erectile feather tufts on the head. Twelve species occur in the region. Endemics include Cuban Pygmy Owl and Bare-legged Owl on Cuba, Jamaican Owl and Puerto Rican Owl; Stygian Owl also lives on Cuba and Hispaniola. Burrowing Owl breeds in burrows it digs or takes over in the ground and is also active by day. Trinidad holds South American species, from Ferruginous Pygmy Owl to Spectacled Owl. On most islands of the Lesser Antilles typical owls are absent. The voice consists of low notes, rattles or whistled series and is often the first thing by which the species is known. Nesting is in a tree hole, a rock crevice or on the ground; the female incubates and the male brings the food.