Eurasian scops owl
| Eurasian scops owl | |
|---|---|
| |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom Information | |
| Domain | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Subkingdom | Bilateria |
| Branch | Deuterostomia |
| Phylum Information | |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Sub-phylum | Vertebrata |
| Infraphylum | Gnathostomata |
| Class Information | |
| Superclass | Tetrapoda |
| Class | Aves |
| Sub-class | Neornithes |
| Infra-class | Neoaves |
| Order Information | |
| Order | Strigiformes |
| Family Information | |
| Family | Strigidae |
| Sub-family | Striginae |
| Genus Information | |
| Genus | Otus |
| Species Information | |
| Species | O. scops |
| Population statistics | |
| Population | 463,000-785,000 (2015 est) |
| Conservation status | Least concern[1] |
The Eurasian or common scops owl (Otus scops) is a small species of owl of the family Strigidae, and found over much of Europe and central Asia.
Contents
Description
The Eurasian scops owl is small, with a body length of 7.5–8.3 inches, a wingspan of 19–21 inches, and a weight of 2.3 to 4.8 ounces. Females are slightly larger than males. In appearance it has a stocky build with a big head when at rest; with the "ears" erected, however, the bird appears larger and more slender than it actually is. Its plumage is bark-colored, gray to chestnut-brown with varying degrees of whitish inclusions. The eyes have a yellow-orange iris. On the underside of the body are striking black vertical stripes.
The call of the Eurasian scops owl is a tracking, almost monosyllabic, somewhat nasal and not very loud "kyoot", which is repeated at intervals of 2 to 3.5 seconds, often for hours. Sometimes the main sound is preceded by an initial sound, making the call look like two syllables. The call of the midwife toad - the most similar sound to this owl - reads "ü" without modulation and sounds brighter; this remotely reminds of the bellows of cattle. The owl also turns its head during song, making it difficult to locate. The vocal activity begins shortly after sunset and ends at dawn; after midnight, call activity declines significantly for one to two hours. Males and females often call in duet, the female calls in a slightly higher pitch and with a slightly less regularity than the male.
Subspecies
- Otus scops cycladum; southern Greece and Crete, Turkey, Israel, Jordan
- Otus scops mallorcae; Iberian Peninsula, Balearic islands, northern and central Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia
- Otus scops scops; France and Mediterranean islands to Russia (Volga River), northern Greece and Transcaucasia
- Otus scops turanicus; Iraq through Iran, eastward to northwestern Pakistan
Threats
The ICUN classifies this species as "least concern", due to a large population spread out over a large area of Europe and Asia, exclusive of its wintering range. They have however, noted a decrease in population, citing several factors:
- Increased use of pesticides in agriculture to control the insect population; this pest control includes those insects upon which the owl feeds;
- Increased land clearing for farming, which included removal of old-growth trees the owls use for nesting;
- Intensification of modern farming methods, cited as a cause for the owl's extirpation from France and Spain;
- Increase in numbers and range of the tawny owl (Strix aluco), seen as both a competitor and predator of the scops owl.
