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News: First-ever Indian Scops Owl sighting near Daroji Sloth Bear Sanctuary, Vijayanagara, Karnataka.
About Indian Scops Owl
- The Indian Scops Owl is a small nocturnal owl.
- It is known for ear-like tufts and excellent camouflage.
- Scientific name: Scops Owl scientific name is Otus bakkamoena.
- Habitat
- It lives in forests, woodlands, and riverine forests.
- It is also found in cultivated areas, plantations, orchards with trees, and gardens with trees.
- It is a non-migratory species.
- Distribution: It is found mainly in India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Iran.
- Features
- Size: It measures about 20–25 cm in length.
- It has small ear-like tufts with a clear facial disc that aids hearing.
- Color: It occurs in two colour morphs: grey-brown and rufous.
- Diet: It feeds on beetles, grasshoppers larvae, as well as small rodents, small birds and geckos.
- It lays its eggs in holes or hollows of trees.
- Threats: The species faces threats from habitat loss and from the use of pesticides.
- IUCN status: It is classified as Least Concern.
