Common scops owl
The Common Scops Owl is a small nocturnal bird found across Europe, Asia, and parts of Africa. Characterized by its grayish-brown plumage and distinctive tufts of feathers on its head, this owl typically measures between seven to eight inches in length and weighs about three ounces. Notable for its large yellow eyes and ability to rotate its head significantly, the Common Scops Owl is adept at remaining concealed in wooded farmland, where it hunts primarily at night. Its diet is omnivorous, including insects, small mammals, and vegetation, which it captures by perching high and swooping down swiftly.
The breeding season occurs from April to July, during which males attract females through calls and display various nesting sites, often in tree hollows or man-made structures. The female lays three to six white eggs and incubates them for approximately 25 days, with both parents involved in feeding the hatchlings. While closely related to the New World Screech Owl, the Common Scops Owl is a distinct species that migrates to warmer climates in sub-Saharan Africa during the winter months. This owl can live up to twelve years, making it a species of interest for both bird watchers and researchers alike.
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Common scops owl
The scops owl is a species of bird that lives in Europe, Asia, and parts of Africa. It is distinguishable by its smaller size compared to other owls, and its grayish-brown plumage. The scops owl also makes a long flight into sub-Saharan Africa during winter months. The word scops means "to see" in Greek and was given as a name to the common scops owl for its large eyes and ability to turn its head so it could see behind itself.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Strigiformes
Family: Strigidae
Genus: Otus
Species: Scops
The common scops owl is typically found in wooded farmland. During the breeding season from April to July, it inhabits areas of southern Europe, parts of the Middle East, and Asia as far east as Mongolia. During the winter months, the common scops owl inhabits warmer climates between the Sahara Desert and the equator in Africa.
The common scops owl generally grows to be seven to eight inches (eighteen to twenty centimeters) long and weighs about three ounces (85 grams). Because of the changing temperatures and migratory patterns, the common scops owl's weight may vary throughout the year. The common scops owl has brown, beige, gray, white, and black plumage. This combination of colors helps the common scops owl to blend with its surroundings. The common scops owl is good at concealing its presence. It is nocturnal which means it is most active at night. Its nocturnal nature also helps make it hard to detect.
Like some other owls, such as the great horned owl, the common scops owl has tufts of feathering on both sides of its head. It also has large, round, yellow eyes with large, round, black pupils. The pupils are the parts of the eyes which open and close to let in light. In the middle of the common scops owl's face is its small, black beak.
The common scops owl is an omnivorous bird, or a bird which feeds on a diet of both meat and plants. The common scops owl's diet includes insects, small mammals, lizards, birds, and vegetation, or plant matter. Like many other owls, the common scops owl is nocturnal, or night-active, and therefore feeds mostly at night. It hunts by sitting on a high perch and sensing its surroundings by sight and hearing. Although its eyes are always facing forward, the common scops owl is able to turn its head half-way around to see what is behind it. Since it can move its head without moving its body, most animals never notice the movements of the common scops owl while it is perched on a branch. When the common scops owl notices an insect of interest, it quickly dives down, snatches its prey, and returns to its perch. Once back on its perch, the common scops owl removes any wings from the insect before eating the body.
Mating season for the common scops owl takes place between April and July. A male and female common scops owl pair together after whistling and calling to attract one another. The male shows the female a number of possible nesting sites, and the female chooses one by roosting, or resting, in the nest of her choice. Nests can be located in holes in trees, or in people-made structures such as buildings.
The collection of eggs laid by the female is called a brood. After the two mate, the female lays her brood in a nest. Broods typcially consist of three to six white eggs. The female then incubates, or warms, the eggs with her body heat for about 25 days while the male feeds her. Once the hatchlings are free from their eggs they are fed by their parents for several weeks. When they are about eleven days old the hatchlings can stand and are able to tear their own food. The hatchlings fledge, or first fly, when they are about three weeks old, but do not leave the nest permanently until they are six to seven weeks old.
The common scops owl is very closely related to the screech owl. While the common scops owl lives in the Old World countries, the screech owl is a New World bird.
The oldest recorded common scops owl lived to be twelve years old.
Related species:
- Philippine scops owl(Otus megalotis)
- Collared scops owl(Otus lettia)
- Eurasian scops owl (Otus scops cyprius)
Bibliography
“Eurasian Scops Owl.” Animalia, 2024, animalia.bio/eurasian-scops-owl. Accessed 5 Apr. 2024.
Lattanze, Danielle. “Otus scops Common Scops-Owl.” Animal Diversity Web, 2022, animaldiversity.org/accounts/Otus‗scops. Accessed 5 Apr. 2024.
“Scops Owl Otus scops.” Birdfact, 2024, birdfact.com/birds/scops-owl. Accessed 5 Apr. 2024.