The Mottled owl (Strix virgata), is a medium-sized species of owl found in Central and South America from Mexico to Brazil and Argentina. The head and back are mottled brown and the underparts whitish, with vertical bars on the chest and throat. The eyes are dark and the head is round and they do not have ear tufts. They are territorial and found in dry forests and jungles up to 2,500 m (8,200 ft) above sea level.