CreatureData

Crested owl

Lophostrix cristata (Daudin, 1800)

LCLeast Concernowls

The crested owl (Lophostrix cristata) is a species in the family Strigidae, order Strigiformes. Recorded adults weigh 467.8 g to 620 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Crested owl (Lophostrix cristata)
Photo: Dominic Sherony · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the crested owl

Weight
467.8 g – 620 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Invertivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
forestsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
Not recorded
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the crested owl live?

Not recorded

What is the crested owl?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The crested owl (Lophostrix cristata) is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is the only species (monotypic) in the genus Lophostrix. It is a resident bird and occurs in Central America and northern South America. It is a medium-sized owl, easily recognizable with its very long whitish ear tufts and otherwise darker appearance. It inhabits lowland rainforests and prefers old growth in proximity with water. The crested owl is a strictly nocturnal species, but very little is known about its behaviour.

From the Wikipedia article “Crested owl” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Crested_owl&oldid=1380660942), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the crested owl endangered?

The crested owl is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the crested owl classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderStrigiformes
  5. familyStrigidae
  6. genusLophostrix
  7. SpeciesLophostrix cristata (Daudin, 1800)

Synonyms Lophostrix griseata, Strix cristata, Strix griseata, Strix superciliosa

Other names and names in other languages (40)
  • CROWEnglish
  • بوم متوجArabic
  • Buynuzlu yapalaqcaAzerbaijani
  • duc crestatCatalan
  • výřík ušatýCzech
  • výrovec ušatýCzech
  • tylluan gopogWelsh
  • Langhornet UgleDanish
  • HaubenkauzGerman
  • kresta strigoEsperanto
  • búho crestadoSpanish
  • Búho corniblancoSpanish
  • Búho cuerno blancoSpanish
  • Búho Cuernos BlancosSpanish
  • Búho PenachudoSpanish
  • tuttkakkEstonian
  • جغد کاکلیPersian
  • töyhtöpöllöFinnish
  • Duc de DaudinFrench
  • Duc à aigrettesFrench
  • kontyos bagolyHungarian
  • Gufo crestatoItalian
  • Gufo dalla lunga crestaItalian
  • ミミナガフクロウJapanese
  • カンムリズクJapanese
  • kuoduotoji pelėdaLithuanian
  • KuifuilDutch
  • LophostrixNorwegian
  • hvittoppugleNorwegian
  • puchaczyk czubatyPolish
  • coruja-de-cristaPortuguese
  • Рогатая неясытьRussian
  • sova veľkobrváSlovak
  • Ćubasta sovaSerbian
  • tofsugglaSwedish
  • Ak Kaşlı BaykuşTurkish
  • сова-рогань бураUkrainian
  • Cú màoVietnamese
  • 冠鴞Chinese
  • 冠鸮Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the crested owl

Other species in the same family Strigidae.

VU, Vulnerable
Snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus)

Snowy owl

Bubo scandiacus

Strigidae

LC, Least Concern
Tawny owl (Strix aluco)

Tawny owl

Strix aluco

Strigidae

CompareCrested owl vs Eurasian eagle-owlCrested owl vs Little owlCrested owl vs Snowy owlCrested owl vs Long-eared owl

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the crested owl?

An adult crested owl weighs 467.8 g – 620 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the crested owl endangered?

The crested owl is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the crested owl?

The crested owl (Lophostrix cristata) belongs to the family Strigidae in the order Strigiformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

Embed a card for this animal on your own site

Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.

Preview the card

APA

CreatureData. (2026). Crested owl (Lophostrix cristata). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/crested-owl

MLA

“Crested owl (Lophostrix cristata).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/crested-owl.

BibTeX
@misc{crested_owl_2026,
  title = {Crested owl (Lophostrix cristata)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/crested-owl},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}