Bermuda Saw-whet Owl vs Choco Tapaculo

Aegolius gradyi compared with Scytalopus chocoensis

Key Differences

• Bermuda Saw-whet Owl is Extinct while Choco Tapaculo is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bermuda Saw-whet Owl	Choco Tapaculo
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Strigiformes (Owls)	Passeriformes (Songbirds)
Family	Strigidae (True Owls)	Rhinocryptidae
Genus	Aegolius	Scytalopus
Species	Aegolius gradyi	Scytalopus chocoensis

Evolutionary Relationship

Bermuda Saw-whet Owl and Choco Tapaculo share a common ancestor at the Class level: Aves. (Birds)

Conservation Status

Bermuda Saw-whet Owl

EX — Extinct

Choco Tapaculo

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bermuda Saw-whet Owl	Choco Tapaculo
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bermuda Saw-whet Owl

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Found in Norway.

Choco Tapaculo

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, and Norway.

Bermuda Saw-whet Owl

The Bermuda Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius gradyi) is a species in the genus Aegolius. It is currently classified as Extinct on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Choco Tapaculo

The Choco Tapaculo (Scytalopus chocoensis) is a small, secretive bird in the family Rhinocryptidae, endemic to the Chocó biogeographic region of the Pacific slope of Colombia and northwestern Ecuador. Tapaculos are among the most cryptic and difficult-to-observe birds in the Neotropics, living in dense undergrowth close to the forest floor and rarely venturing into the open. They are typically dark grey to blackish overall with barred or brownish flanks, and are most reliably identified by their loud, distinctive territorial songs — a series of repeated notes that carry well through dense vegetation. The Choco Tapaculo inhabits humid foothill and montane forest understory, particularly in areas with dense shrubbery, bamboo, and moss-covered logs on the forest floor, at elevations roughly between 500 and 2,000 metres. It forages terrestrially among leaf litter for small invertebrates including beetles, ants, and other arthropods. The IUCN classifies this species as Least Concern given its occurrence across a reasonably wide elevational band in relatively intact Andean foothills. The ongoing decline of Chocó forest at lower elevations, however, means that foothill-specialised species like this tapaculo face progressive habitat loss and upslope range compression.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway