The Whiskered Screech-Owl is a small owl of Mexican canyon and foothill woodlands. It has fine gray, black, and white markings and feeds mainly on insects.
Its plumage is finely patterned in gray, black, and white. Short ear tufts are often hard to see, and a rufous morph occurs from central Mexico southward.
It feeds mainly on insects, catching prey with short flights into foliage or dives to the ground. It lays eggs in natural tree cavities or woodpecker holes without adding nesting material.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.