The Eurasian scops owl, also known as the European scops owl, common scops owl or just scops owl, is a small owl in the typical owl family Strigidae. Its breeding range extends from southern Europe eastwards to southern Siberia and the western Himalayas. It is migratory, wintering in Africa south of the Sahara.
Scops owls are typical owls in family Strigidae belonging to the genus Otus and are restricted to the Old World. Otus is the largest genus of owls with 59 species. Scops owls are colored in various brownish hues, sometimes with a lighter underside and/or face, which helps to camouflage them against the bark of trees. Some are polymorphic, occurring in a greyish- and a reddish-brown morph. They are small and agile, with both sexes being compact in size and shape. Female scops owls are usually larger than males.
The Indian scops owl is a species of owl native to South Asia.
The Japanese scops-owl is a small owl species in the family Strigidae, or true owl family. It is a member of the genus Otus, the scops owl genus. It is resident to Japan, China, Korea, and Russia.
The Philippine scops owl, also Luzon lowland scops owl is a common owl, endemic to the Philippines, belonging to the family of the typical owls Strigidae. Other common names include "Otus Whitehead", "Whitehead scops owl" and "Luzon lowland scops owl". Everett's scops owl and Negros scops owls were formerly considered conspecific but are now classified as separate species.
The Serendib scops owl is the most recently discovered bird of Sri Lanka. It was originally located by its unfamiliar poo-ooo call in the Kitulgala rainforest by prominent Sri Lankan ornithologist Deepal Warakagoda. Six years later, it was finally seen by him on 23 January 2001 in Sinharaja, and formally described as a species new to science in 2004. Apart from Sinharaja and Kitulgala, it has also been found at Runakanda Reserve in Morapitiya and Eratna Gilimale. It is known as පඩුවන් බස්සා in Sinhala.
The Karthala scops owl, also known as the Grand Comore scops owl or Comoro scops owl, is a small scops owl endemic to the island of Grande Comore in the Comoro Islands.
The Anjouan scops owl is an owl endemic to the island of Anjouan in the Comoro Islands.
The African scops owl is a small owl which is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa.
The Andaman scops owl is a species of the Strigidae family and is native to the Andaman Islands of India. It is a largely brown owl with white speckles and yellow eyes. The owl was first described in 1873 by British Ornithologist Allan Octavian Hume. The Andaman Scops Owl has no sightings outside of the Andaman Islands, therefore research on this bird is limited. This owl is not threatened, though an increase in deforestation on the islands has led to the population size slowly declining. It is a nocturnal owl that feeds at night and has a nesting season from February to April.
The Javan scops owl is a small species of owl living mainly on western Java's high volcanos; local people refer to the owl as Celepuk Jawa. Like most owls, this nocturnal bird also has a strong ability of silent flight.
The Sunda scops owl is a small brown owl native to the Sunda Islands.
Wallace's scops owl or lesser Sunda scops owl is endemic to the Sumbawa and Flores islands, in the Lesser Sundas chain of Indonesia. It is not rare in most of its habitat and has no subspecies except for the nominate. It is also known as the Lesser Sunda scops owl. It is named after Alfred Russel Wallace, a British naturalist, explorer, geographer, and biologist.
The Palawan scops owl is an owl endemic to the Philippines only being found on the island of Palawan. It is found on tropical moist lowland forest. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The Sangihe scops owl is an owl species endemic to the Sangihe Island of Indonesia.
The Mantanani scops owl, is a small owl in the scops-owl genus Otus found on small islands between Borneo and the Philippines. It is listed by the IUCN as "near threatened" because its range is limited with its population being fragmented on several different islands, and its forest habitat is being degraded by ongoing logging and clearance.
The Asian Barred Owlet also known as the Cuckoo owlet is a species of pygmy owl native to the forests and shrublands of mainland Southeast Asia to the foothills of the Himalayas of northern Pakistan. It is a smaller owl, measuring 22–25 cm (8.7–9.8 in) making it one of the larger pygmy owls. They are primarily insectivorous but will eat lizards, small rodents and birds as well.
The Mayotte scops owl is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is endemic to the island of Mayotte in the Comoros.
The Madagascar scops owl, also known as the Malagasy scops owl or Rainforest scops owl, is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found throughout Madagascar, now that it has recently been lumped with the Torotoroka scops owl, with which it was long considered a separate species from. The nominate O. r. rutilus is referred to as Rainforest scops owl.
The Socotra scops owl is a small owl endemic to the island of Socotra, Yemen.
