The oriental scops owl (''Otus sunia'') is a species of

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 ...

found in eastern and southern

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

Description

This is a small, variably plumaged, yellow-eyed owl with ear-tufts which are not always erect. It can be distinguished from the

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 ...

by its whitish scapular stripe, well-marked underparts, and lack of pale collar. There are two colour morphs, grey and rufous; intermediate forms also occur. Sexes are similar in appearance. Individuals may freeze with eyes half-closed when disturbed. The species has a repeated liquid call sounding like "tuk tok torok".

Distribution and habitat

The species has an extremely wide distribution across eastern and southern Asia, and is found in dry deciduous forests from

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. The owl nests in holes in trees during February–April.

References

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 ...

Birds of East Asia Birds of South Asia Birds of Southeast Asia

{{Strigiformes-stub