The buff-fronted owl (Aegolius harrisii) is a small owl. It is a rare and local resident in the highlands of South America from Venezuela south and east to Peru, northern Argentina and northwest Paraguay. The range is effectively separated into two parts by the unsuitable habitat of the Amazon basin. This nocturnal bird breeds in open mountain forests, laying its eggs in a tree hole. It takes rodents and other small mammals as its main prey, but will also feed on birds and insects. The binomial commemorates the American ornithologist Edward Harris.