The Stygian Owl, Asio stygius is a medium-sized dusky colored owl

Owl

Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...

. It has yellow eyes, a black beak, a dark blackish facial disk, and white eyebrows. Its underparts are a dingy buff color with dark brown barring and streaks. The upperparts are reverse, buff barring and streaks on a dark background.
This owl occupies a variety of deciduous

Deciduous

Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...

 and evergreen

Evergreen

In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...

 forests, and open areas with patchy forest. It lives from sea level to 3,100 meters (10,170 ft.) above.
This species takes in a variety of prey including birds, small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, crustaceans, and insects. All of its hunting is done at night.

The Stygian Owl lays two eggs in stick nests created by other birds, but occasionally, they will nest on the ground, like their relative, the Short-eared Owl

Short-eared Owl

The Short-eared Owl is a species of typical owl . In Scotland this species of owl is often referred to as a cataface, grass owl or short-horned hootlet. Owls belonging to genus Asio are known as the eared owls, as they have tufts of feathers resembling mammalian ears. These "ear" tufts may or may...

.

This owl is not globally threatened, although its status varies greatly throughout its range. It lives in South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

, and parts of Central America

Central America

Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...

. It has been documented twice from Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

 http://www.texasbirds.org/tbrc/stygowl.htm.

The adjective Stygian means "of, or relating to, the River Styx

Styx

In Greek mythology the Styx is the river that forms the boundary between the underworld and the world of the living, as well as a goddess and a nymph that represents the river.Styx may also refer to:-Popular culture:...

", but is more widely applied to anything that is dark or dismal.