The collared scops owl (''Otus lettia'') is an

owl Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...

which is a resident breeder in south Asia from northern Pakistan, northern India,

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

, Bangladesh ,the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

east to south China, and Taiwan. It is partially migratory, with some birds wintering in India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia. This species was formerly considered to be included within what is now separated as the

Indian scops owl The Indian scops owl (''Otus bakkamoena'') is a resident species of owl native to South Asia. Taxonomy and etymology This species formerly included the collared scops owl (''Otus lettia''). The species epithet is derived from "bakamuna", the Si ...

(''Otus bakkamoena''). This species is a part of the larger grouping of owls known as

typical owl The true owls or typical owls (family Strigidae) are one of the two generally accepted families of owls, the other being the barn owls (Tytonidae). This large family comprises 230 living or recently extinct species in 24 genera. The typical owl ...

s, Strigidae, which contains most species of owl. The other grouping is the

barn owl The barn owl (''Tyto alba'') is the most widely distributed species of owl in the world and one of the most widespread of all species of birds, being found almost everywhere except for the polar and desert regions, Asia north of the Himalaya ...

s, Tytonidae. The collared scops owl is a common breeding bird in forests and other well-wooded areas. It nests in

tree hollow A tree hollow or tree hole is a semi-enclosed cavity which has naturally formed in the trunk or branch of a tree. They are found mainly in old trees, whether living or not. Hollows form in many species of trees, and are a prominent feature of nat ...

s, laying 3-5

eggs Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...

. The collared scops owl is a small (23–25 cm) owl, although it is the largest of the

scops owl 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 ...

s. Like other scops owls, it has small head tufts, or ''ears''. The upperparts are grey or brown, depending on the

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

, with faint

buff Buff or BUFF may refer to: People * Buff (surname), a list of people * Buff (nickname), a list of people * Johnny Buff, ring name of American world champion boxer John Lisky (1888–1955) * Buff Bagwell, a ring name of American professional wr ...

spotting. The underparts are buff with fine darker streaking. The facial disc is whitish or buff, and the eyes are orange or brown. There is a buff neckband. Sexes are similar. The flight is deeply undulating. This species is nocturnal but it can often be located by the small birds that mob it while it is roosting in a tree. It feeds mainly on

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs ...

s. The call is a quiet ''goog gook''. This species is chiefly found in northern India and is replaced by the very similar looking

oriental scops owl The oriental scops owl (''Otus sunia'') is a species of scops owl found in eastern and southern Asia. Description This is a small, variably plumaged, yellow-eyed owl with ear-tufts which are not always erect. It can be distinguished from the c ...

''Otus sunia'' (recently split) towards the south of its range. It is very similar also to the slightly smaller Indian scops owl. They are most easily separated in the field by their calls. It is sometimes considered as a sub-species of the Indian scops owl.

Gallery

File:Collared scops owl (Otus lettia) 3.jpg, left, Young collared scops owl (Otus lettia) in Nepal

References

* ''Birds of India'' by Grimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp, * ''Owls of the Northern Hemisphere'',

Karel Voous Karel Hendrik Voous (23 June 1920, Huizen – 31 January 2002, Huizen) was a Dutch ornithologist and author. He was Secretary-General (1966–1970) and Honorary President (1990–1994) of the International Ornithological Committee. Bibliography ...

, {{Taxonbar, from=Q1269116

collared scops owl The collared scops owl (''Otus lettia'') is an owl which is a resident breeder in south Asia from northern Pakistan, northern India, Nepal, Bangladesh ,the Himalayas east to south China, and Taiwan. It is partially migratory, with some birds wi ...

Birds of the Himalayas Birds of Eastern Himalaya Birds of China Birds of Southeast Asia