The bare-legged owl, also called the Cuban bare-legged owl or Cuban screech owl, is a species of owl in the family Strigidae that is endemic to Cuba and Isla de la Juventud. It belongs to the monotypic genus Margarobyas.
Region
Caribbean
Typical Environment
Endemic to Cuba and Isla de la Juventud, where it occupies forests, woodlands, mangroves, and savanna edges. It favors areas with mature trees that provide cavities, including royal palms and cultivated landscapes. The species tolerates some human-altered habitats and may forage around villages, plantations, and along roadsides at night. It is largely a lowland owl but can occur in foothills where suitable cover and roost sites exist.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1000 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Also known as the Cuban screech owl, it is the sole member of the genus Margarobyas and is notable for its largely unfeathered, flesh-colored legs. It roosts in natural cavities and palm crowns and often hunts along forest edges and near rural settlements. Its diet is dominated by large insects, but it will take small vertebrates opportunistically.
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with silent, low-level flight
Social Behavior
Usually roosts singly or in pairs in tree cavities, palm crowns, or dense foliage. Pairs are presumed monogamous and defend a territory around nest sites. Nests are typically in natural cavities where 2–3 eggs are laid; adults may give bill-snapping displays when disturbed.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
The song is a series of soft whistles and trills, often given in repeating phrases at dusk and night. Calls can include short, sharp notes and harsher screech-like sounds when alarmed.
Plumage
Fine mottling and barring in rufous-brown and buff with a paler, softly textured facial disc and lightly streaked underparts.
Diet
Primarily large insects such as beetles, crickets, and moths, taken by perch-and-pounce hunting. It also consumes spiders and other arthropods and may opportunistically take small lizards, frogs, or rodents. Prey is swallowed whole or torn into manageable pieces.
Preferred Environment
Hunts along forest edges, clearings, and roadsides, often near lights that attract insects. Forages from low to mid-level perches within woodland, mangroves, and rural gardens.
