Otus cuyensis McGregor, Bull. Philippine Mus. (1904), 4, 17;
McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 46.
Bu-caó, Cuyo.
Cuyo (McGregor).
Adult male, light phase, type.--Feathers of head and neck heavily
streaked with blackish brown, the edges more or less notched with
whitish and light rufous; ear-tufts also blackish, but edges rufous;
back dark rufous, finely speckled with blackish, clearer rufous on
upper tail-coverts; each outer scapular with a large white spot on
outer web followed by a blackish spot on tip and bordered toward base
by a dark brown line; chin and upper throat whitish with narrow brown
shaft-stripes, the webs marked more or less with cinnamon; remainder
of under parts dark cinnamon, more or less cross-barred with white
and dark brown, each feather with a blackish brown shaft-stripe;
the coloration heaviest across upper breast because of the greater
width of the shaft-stripes and reduction of the white areas; middle of
abdomen almost pure white; flank-feathers with narrow shaft-lines and
wide white bars; thighs rufous-brown; wings mostly sandy cinnamon more
or less mottled with brown; outer webs of primaries regularly notched
with five or six spots of white or whitish cinnamon, bordered with
dark brown; similar notches on secondaries but less prominent owing
to darker color of spots; quills below brownish with slightly lighter,
irregular, and almost obsolete bars; alula with similar light notches
on outer webs, on the first feather the notches are white; coverts
generally uniform, but some feathers of median series with large
white patches on outer webs; tail similar to the back with about eight
irregular and nearly obsolete cross-bars; short plumulaceous feathers
below and behind the eye finely mottled with pale cinnamon, brown, and
whitish; behind ear, feathers of the incomplete ruff broadly tipped
with blackish brown forming a prominent dark band on side of head;
bristle-like feathers of lores with bases whitish, tips blackish
brown, the longest about 20 mm.; anterior bristles pale cinnamon;
tarsus feathered to base of toes. Bill, cere, and feet dirty brown;
nails horn-brown; iris yellow. Length, 235; wing, 170; tail, 82;
culmen, 23; tarsus, 35; middle toe with claw, 33.
Adult female, light phase.--Not greatly different from the male, but
white notches on primaries and alula with a cinnamon wash. Length,
235; wing, 175; tail, 88; culmen (tip broken), 21; tarsus, 35; middle
toe with claw, 32.
Red phase.--The pattern of coloration is the same as in the light
phase; white and whitish markings nearly all replaced by rufous;
chin and upper throat and modified feathers below and behind eye
almost clear rufous; blackish brown markings on breast very wide;
a few whitish bars on abdomen and flanks.