Priorities for Future Research

Koepcke's Screech-Owl is a nocturnal species with a restricted geographic range; it was not even recognized as a species until the 1980s, and so it is no surprise that its natural history is very poorly known. One important research priority would be to survey for the presence of this species at additional sites, especially on the west slope of the Andes in southern Ancash and northern Lima, and in the Marañón Valley. Also important will be quantify its tolerances to habitat degradation, and to monitor its population trends. There is very little information on its diet or reproductive biology. Also worthy of study are demographic aspects (e.g., age at first breeding, life span and survivorship, dispersal, population regulation, territoriality and population density) of the biology of Koepcke's Screech-Owl.