Strigiformes / Strigidae / Otus
Oriental Scops Owl
Otus sunia · 红角鸮
Introduction
A scops owl species native to South and Southeast Asia. It inhabits dry deciduous forests and nests in tree holes.
Description
Small, variably plumaged owl with yellow eyes and ear-tufts that are not always erect. Two colour morphs exist, grey and rufous, with intermediate forms also occurring. Sexes are similar in appearance. Distinguished by a whitish scapular stripe, well-marked underparts, and lack of pale collar.
Identification
Distinguished from the collared scops owl by its whitish scapular stripe, well-marked underparts, and lack of pale collar. Individuals may freeze with eyes half-closed when disturbed. Vocalization is a repeated liquid call sounding like "tuk tok torok", with adults having higher-pitched calls than juveniles.
Distribution & Habitat
Extremely wide distribution across eastern and southern Asia, ranging from Russia to Thailand. Inhabits dry deciduous forests.
Behavior & Ecology
Nests in holes in trees, especially Mahua trees, during February to April.
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Taxonomy
- Order
- Strigiformes
- Family
- Strigidae
- Genus
- Otus
Vocalizations
Subspecies (9)
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Otus sunia distans
Myanmar through Indochina
Data Sources
Species description from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Bird images and sounds sourced from GBIF, contributed by citizen scientists worldwide under Creative Commons licenses.
Taxonomy data from AviList 2025.
