Indian Scops Owl
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| Indian Scops Owl Conservation status: Lower risk (lc) | ||||||||||||||
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| Otus bakkamoena Pennant, 1769 |
The Indian Scops Owl, Otus bakkamoena, is an owl which is a resident breeder in south Asia from eastern Arabia through India, except the far north, and Sri Lanka east to Indonesia. This species is a part of the larger grouping of owls known as typical owls, Strigidae, which contains most species of owl. The other grouping is the barn owls, Tytonidae.
The Indian Scops Owl is a common resident bird in forests and other well-wooded areas. It nests in a hole in a tree, laying 3-5 eggs.
The Indian Scops Owl is a small (23-25cm) owl, although it is the largest of the scops owls. Like other scops owls, it has small head tufts, or ears. The upperparts are grey or brown, depending on the subspecies, with faint buff spotting. The underparts are buff with fine darker streaking.
The facial disc is whitish or buff, and the eyes are orange or brown. There is a buff neckband. Sexes are similar. The flight is deeply undulating.
This species is nocturnal. Through its natural camouflage, it is very difficult to see in daytime. But it can often be located by the small birds that mob it while it is roosting in a tree. It feeds mainly on insects. The call is a soft single note whuk.
This species is very similar to the slightly larger partially migratory Collared Scops Owl Otus lettia, which is sometimes considered to be a race of Indian Scops Owl, and which winters within the breeding range of the latter form. They can be separated on call and eye colour.
Reference
- Birds of India by Grimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp, ISBN 0-691-04910-6
- Owls of the Northern Hemisphere, Karel Voous, ISBN 0002194937