The Crested Owl is a medium size owl (15-17 in. in length). Its size is similar to the other medium sized owls like Barn, Long and Short-eared. Very little is known about this birds behavior or habits although it is fairly common in some parts of Mexico and Costa Rica, including around the Lapa Rios Reserve.
It inhabits humid evergreen forests and generally roosts by day in thickets, often very low. It can be found from sea level to the cloud forests at 6300 ft. (1950 m) in elevation. The Crested Owl is strictly nocturnal (active only at night) and feeds mainly on large insects like caterpillars or beetles although probably will take some small vertebrates too. It can mostly be seen perched along streams and forest gaps although probably hunts mostly in the forest.
Nesting season begins in February and extends through May. The Crested Owl is a cavity nester that normally nests in a tree hole although it has been reported as even nesting in the loft of a house. The young are thought to stay with the adults at least through September.
The most apparent characteristic of the Crested Owl is its striking bold white eyebrows that continue into very long mostly white ear tufts. The Central American species, stricklandi, has mostly yellow-orange iris (eyes) although the other two races have dark brown iris (eyes). The stricklandi race has a blackish face and forehead with dark rufous around the eyes. On the front side, the owl is darker above and lighter below.
It has a deep almost frog-like croak (or "emphatic growl") that it repeats every 5-10 seconds. The stricklandi(Central American race) also has a shorter "gurrr" or "ohrrr" than the other two types that have a little longer "g,g,g,g,ggrrrrrrr"