RANGE: Pacific slope of the West Andes in Colombia and northwest Ecuador

STATUS: The World Conservation Union lists the Colombian screech owl as Near Threatened. Owlpages.com considers this species probably Rare.

THREATS: Accelerating deforestation due to intensive logging, human settlement, cattle-grazing, coca cultivation, and gold-mining

The Colombian screech owl braves all manner of disturbance within its historic range: deforestation, human encroachment, cattle grazing, coca cultivation, and gold-mining. Scientists are working to determine how many of these rare birds remain in the wild. For now, small populations are known to exist along the Pacific slope of the West Andes in Colombia and northwest Ecuador. Some Colombian screech owls have found safe harbor in small protected areas such as Munchique National Park (Cauca, Colombia) and Cotacachi-Cayapas Ecological Reserve (Esmeraldas, Ecuador), but we need to do more to protect the montane evergreen forests and tall secondary forests they love.