Fulvous owl
Strix fulvescens (P. L. Sclater & Salvin, 1868)
The fulvous owl (Strix fulvescens) is a species in the family Strigidae, order Strigiformes. Recorded adults weigh 632 g to 801 g and live up to 18.2 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.
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Quick facts about the fulvous owl
- Weight
- 632 g – 801 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 18.2 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Carnivoresrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 24 years
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- forestsrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 28 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 2.85src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 2 yearssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1src for Litters or clutches a year
- 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 fulvous owl live?
Not recorded
What is the fulvous owl?
The fulvous owl (Strix fulvescens), or Guatemala barred owl, is a resident of the cloud forests of Central America. A medium-sized true owl, it has a round head, lacking ear tufts. Its typical coloration is warm dark brown or reddish brown on the back and lighter brown on the front with darker barring. Adults weigh approximately 600 grams (21 oz), with females being heavier. Its distribution is limited to highland regions of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. It inhabits elevations from 1,200 to 3,100 meters (3,900 to 10,200 ft), and is fairly common within its range. Its behavior is poorly known, as are its population size and distribution. It is classified as a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, although it is considered endangered in Mexico.
From the Wikipedia article “Fulvous owl” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fulvous_owl&oldid=1380681366), 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 fulvous owl endangered?
The fulvous owl is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the fulvous owl classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderStrigiformes
- familyStrigidae
- genusStrix
- SpeciesStrix fulvescens (P. L. Sclater & Salvin, 1868)
Synonyms Ciccaba fulvescens, Strix varia fulvescens, Syrnium fulvescens
Other names and names in other languages (34)
- بوم أصهبArabic
- gamarús de GuatemalaCatalan
- puštík guatemalskýCzech
- tylluan felyngochWelsh
- Sydlig Båndet NatugleDanish
- Guatemala Båndet NatugleDanish
- GelbkauzGerman
- majaa strigoEsperanto
- Búho leonadoSpanish
- Búho BeonadoSpanish
- Cárabo guatemaltecoSpanish
- mägi-metskakkEstonian
- meksikonviirupöllöFinnish
- Chouette fauveFrench
- meksička sovaCroatian
- guatemalai sárga bagolyHungarian
- Allocco fulvoItalian
- チュウベイフクロウJapanese
- チャイロアメリカフクロウJapanese
- rusvoji pelėdaLithuanian
- Vale BosuilDutch
- mayaugleNorwegian
- puszczyk płowyPolish
- coruja-fulvaPortuguese
- Бурая неясытьRussian
- Гватемальская бурая неясытьRussian
- sova plaváSlovak
- Žuta sovaSerbian
- mayaugglaSwedish
- Meksika Alaca BaykuşuTurkish
- сова чіапськаUkrainian
- сова чіяпськаUkrainian
- 茶色林鸮Chinese
- 黃褐林鴞Chinese
Relatives of the fulvous owl
Other species in the same genus Strix.
Tawny owl
Strix aluco
Ural owl
Strix uralensis
Great grey owl
Strix nebulosa
Brown wood owl
Strix leptogrammica
Barred owl
Strix varia
Omani owl
Strix butleri
CompareFulvous owl vs Tawny owlFulvous owl vs Ural owlFulvous owl vs Great grey owlFulvous owl vs Brown wood owl
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the fulvous owl?
An adult fulvous owl weighs 632 g – 801 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the fulvous owl endangered?
The fulvous owl is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.
How long does the fulvous owl live?
The fulvous owl has a recorded lifespan of 18.2 years.
What kind of animal is the fulvous owl?
The fulvous owl (Strix fulvescens) 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.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
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.
CreatureData. (2026). Fulvous owl (Strix fulvescens). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/fulvous-owl
“Fulvous owl (Strix fulvescens).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/fulvous-owl.
@misc{fulvous_owl_2026,
title = {Fulvous owl (Strix fulvescens)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/fulvous-owl},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}