We were birding in the Sopillar region of Zapata, a vast wetland and forest area around the Bay of Pigs, when we saw this wide-eyed Cuban Screech-Owl. The owl's feathers are dark brown with white spots on top. Underparts and bottom wing feathers are grayish-white. Large brown eyes outlined with dramatic white feathers are part of this bird's striking features. The beak of this nocturnal bird is gray, and its legs are long and unfeathered. It was hot and humid with temperatures in the upper 80's during this late afternoon hike on April 14, 2012.

NOTE: The Bare-legged Owl became the Cuban Screech-Owl in 1998, when the American Ornithologists’ Union reclassified it in the genus Otus, which includes scops and screech-owls. However, in 2003, the union, citing differences in morphology and vocal patterns, reversed itself, placing the owl in its own genus, Gymnoglaux, and restoring its former name: Bare-legged Owl (Gymnoglaux lawrencii).