Lophostrix cristata: A Closer Look at the Crested Owl
- Just Adventures Panama
- Mar 1, 2015
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 1
With its distinctive white “horn”-shaped eyebrows, the Crested Owl (Lophostrix cristata) appears almost mythic, a ghost of the tropical night. This elusive nocturnal raptor inhabits humid lowland and foothill forests from southern Mexico through Central America to the vast Amazon Basin, favoring mature forests with closed canopies where dense foliage provides perfect camouflage by day.

Primarily active at night, the Crested Owl remains concealed in tree cavities or dense branches during daylight hours, making it rarely seen and even more rarely photographed (Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Birds of the World). Its soft, low-pitched call — often described as a “croaking groan” or a deep, resonant “bloop” — usually rings out shortly before dawn, haunting the stillness of the forest night and alerting attentive listeners to its presence.
Despite its broad range, much about the Crested Owl’s ecology remains mysterious. It primarily hunts insects and small vertebrates, including rodents and reptiles, under the cover of darkness, relying on stealth and acute hearing to detect prey. Nesting takes place in natural tree cavities, which provide a secure and secluded environment to raise young — a habitat feature increasingly threatened by ongoing forest fragmentation.
In Panama, the Crested Owl is most often recorded in lowland rainforest regions, especially in protected areas such as the Darién National Park and along the Caribbean slope, where mature forest persists. Observers note that locating this owl requires patience and a keen ear, as it is silent and immobile for much of the day, blending seamlessly with the shadows.
The Crested Owl exemplifies the hidden richness of tropical forests — ecosystems that support a complex web of life, much of which remains out of sight and underappreciated. Its presence underscores the urgent need to protect mature forest habitats, not only for this species but for the countless others that depend on intact canopies for survival. In preserving these forests, we safeguard the quiet mysteries of the night, where even silence speaks volumes.
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Sources:
Ridgely, R. S., & Gwynne, J. A. (1989). A Guide to the Birds of Panama: With Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Honduras. Princeton University Press.
Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Birds of the World. Lophostrix cristata species account. https://birdsoftheworld.org
BirdLife International. (2023). Lophostrix cristata. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. https://www.birdlife.org
Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (HBW Alive). Crested Owl (Lophostrix cristata). https://www.hbw.com/species/crested-owl-lophostrix-cristata
eBird. Species map and observations for Lophostrix cristata. https://ebird.org/species/creowl1
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