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 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 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 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 Moheli scops owl is a scops owl endemic to the island of Mohéli, one of the Comoro Islands.
The Mascarene owls, also known as Mascarene scops owls or lizard owls, are a group of owls formerly classified in their own genus Mascarenotus, but now thought to represent a polyphyletic grouping within the genus Otus. They were restricted to the Mascarene Islands in the Indian Ocean. All three species, the Réunion scops owl, Mauritius scops owl, and Rodrigues scops owl, are now extinct.
The sandy scops owl, or cinnamon scops owl, is an owl from the family Strigidae found in Africa.
The Rajah scops owl is a species of owl found on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. The bird is named after James Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak. Based on patterns of speciation in other endemic montane bird species of the same region, it may potentially have to be split into two distinct species; if so, the name Otus brookii would be restricted to just the Bornean population.
The Sunda scops owl is a small brown owl native to the Sunda Islands.
Wallace's 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 Luzon scops owl or the Luzon highland scops owl is a species of scops owl endemic to Luzon, Philippines. Not to be confused with the Philippine scops owl, sometimes referred to as the Luzon lowland scops owl, which is a more common species that shares the same range. The Luzon scops owl, however, is smaller and inhabits higher altitudes than its lowland relative.
The Sangihe scops owl is an owl species endemic to the Sangihe Island of Indonesia.
The Torotoroka scops owl is a subspecies of owl in the family Strigidae. It is endemic to the western parts of Madagascar, and was previously regarded as its own species. However, O. madagascariensis and the rainforest scops owl Otus rutilus have now been re-lumped following Fuchs et al. (2007) as the Madagascar scops owl or Malagasy scops owl. Therefore this taxon now becomes a subspecies, Otus rutilus madagascariensis.
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 Pemba scops owl is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is endemic to Pemba Island which is part of and off the coast of Tanzania.
The Malagasy kingfisher or Madagascar kingfisher is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae that is found in Madagascar, Mayotte and the Comoros. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical mangrove forests.
The Socotra scops owl is a small owl endemic to the island of Socotra, Yemen.
The Cyprus scops owl is a small owl endemic to Cyprus.
