Mottled Owl, Costa Rica, on 140lb watercolor paper. The mottled owl (*Ciccaba virgata*) is a medium-sized nocturnal bird of prey found across a broad range from Mexico through Central America and into much of South America. It has a rounded head with no ear tufts, large dark brown eyes that give it an intense, soulful expression, and a facial disc that is pale and finely streaked. Its upperparts are a rich dark brown, heavily mottled and streaked with buff and white — a pattern that provides excellent camouflage against tree bark and dense forest foliage. The underparts are paler, ranging from whitish to buff, with bold dark brown streaking running down the breast and belly. Its feet are feathered at the base and armed with sharp talons suited for catching small mammals, birds, frogs, and large insects. A bird of tropical and subtropical forests, it tends to perch quietly in the mid-canopy during the day, becoming active at night when its deep, resonant hooting call — often a series of low, rhythmic notes — echoes through the forest darkness.
