BC Conservation Data Centre: Species Summary
Megascops kennicottii macfarlanei
Western Screech-Owl, macfarlanei subspecies
| Scientific Name: | Megascops kennicottii macfarlanei Brewster, 1891 | ||||||||||
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| Scientific Name Synonyms: |
Otus kennicottii macfarlanei
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| English Name: | Western Screech-Owl, macfarlanei subspecies | ||||||||||
| Classification / Taxonomy | |||||||||||
| Scientific Name - Concept Reference: | Hekstra, G. P. 1982. A revision of the American screech owls (OTUS: Strigidae). Vrije Universiteit te Amsterdam. 131pp. | ||||||||||
| Classification Level: | Subspecies | ||||||||||
| Taxonomy Comments: | Changed to Megascops kennicottii macfarlanei from Otus kennicottii macfarlanei (Feb 21, 2005 DDW). Formerly treated as a subgenus within Otus (Marshall and King in Amadon and Bull 1988), but mitochondrial DNA and vocal differences with Old World species indicate that generic status is warranted (Konig et al. 1999). | ||||||||||
| Species Group: | Vertebrate Animal | ||||||||||
| Species Code: | B-WSOW-MA | ||||||||||
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| Conservation Status / Legal Designation | |||||||||||
| Global Status: | G4G5T4 (Apr 2016) | ||||||||||
| Provincial Status: | S3 (Mar 2017) | ||||||||||
| BC List: | Blue | ||||||||||
| Provincial FRPA list: | Y (May 2004) | ||||||||||
| Provincial Wildlife Act: | |||||||||||
| COSEWIC Status: | Threatened (May 2012) | ||||||||||
| SARA Schedule: | 1 - Threatened (Jan 2005) | ||||||||||
| General Status Canada: | |||||||||||
| Migratory Bird Convention Act: | |||||||||||
| Ecology & Life History | |||||||||||
| General Description: | |||||||||||
| Migration Characteristics: (Global / Provincial) | |||||||||||
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Nonmigrant: Local Migrant: Distant Migrant: Within Borders Migrant: |
N / N / N / na / |
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| Habitats: (Type / Subtype / Dependence) |
Agriculture / Cultivated Field / Facultative - occasional use
Agriculture / Hedgerow / Facultative - occasional use Agriculture / Pasture/Old Field / Facultative - occasional use Anthropogenic / Urban/Suburban / Facultative - occasional use Forest / Conifer Forest - Dry / Facultative - occasional use Forest / Conifer Forest - Mesic (average) / Facultative - frequent use Forest / Conifer Forest - Moist/wet / Facultative - frequent use Forest / Deciduous/Broadleaf Forest / Facultative - frequent use Forest / Mixed Forest (deciduous/coniferous mix) / Facultative - frequent use Riparian / Riparian Forest / Facultative - frequent use |
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| Provincial Habitat Comments: | Habitat keywords copied from species record. | ||||||||||
| Food Habits: | |||||||||||
| Global Food Habits Comments: | |||||||||||
| Global Phenology: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Phenology: (1st half of month/ 2nd half of month) |
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| Colonial Breeder: | N | ||||||||||
| Length(cm)/width(cm)/Weight(g): | / / | ||||||||||
| Elevation (m) (min / max): |
Global:
Provincial: |
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| Distribution | |||||||||||
| Endemic: | N | ||||||||||
| Global Range Comment: | Northern Great Basin from the interior of extreme southern British Columbia through eastern Washington, eastern Oregon, and western Montana, to northeastern California, northern Nevada, and southern Idaho (AOU 1957). | ||||||||||
| Authors / Contributors | |||||||||||
| Global Information Author: | Enns, A. | ||||||||||
| Last Updated: | Feb 04, 2020 | ||||||||||
| Provincial Information Author: | |||||||||||
| Last Updated: | |||||||||||
| References and Related Literature | |||||||||||
B.C. Ministry of Environment. Recovery Planning in BC. B.C. Minist. Environ. Victoria, BC. |
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Beaucher, M-A., and J. Dulisse. 2004. First Confirmed Breeding Record for the Western Screech-owl (Megascops kennicottii macfarlanei) in Southeastern BC. Northwest. Nat. 85(3):128-130. |
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British Columbia Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection. 2004. "Interior" Western Screech-Owl in Accounts and measures for managing identified wildlife. British Columbia Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection, Victoria, BC. 52pp. |
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Campbell, R.W., N.K. Dawe, I. McTaggart-Cowan, et al. 1990b. The Birds of British Columbia Vol. 2: Nonpasserines: Diurnal Birds of Prey through Woodpeckers. Royal British Columbia Museum, Victoria, BC. |
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Cannings, R.J. and H. Davis. 2007. Status of the Western Screech-Owl macfarlanei subspecies (Megascops kennicottii macfarlanei) in British Columbia. B.C. Minist. Environ., Victoria, B.C. Wildl. Working Rep. No. WR-112. 21pp. |
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COSEWIC. 2002n. COSEWIC assessment and update status report on the Western Screech-owl Otus kennicottii in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. vi + 31 pp. |
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Western Screech-Owl, macfarlanei subspecies Recovery Team. 2008. Recovery strategy for the Western Screech-Owl, macfarlanei subspecies (Megascops kennicottii macfarlanei) in British Columbia. Prepared for the B.C. Ministry of Environment, Victoria, BC. 14 pp. |
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Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for definitions of the data fields used in this summary report.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 2020. Species Summary: Megascops kennicottii macfarlanei. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Apr 2, 2026).