The sandy scops owl (''Otus icterorhynchus''), or cinnamon scops owl, is an owl from the family
Strigidae
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 ...
found in
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
.
Taxonomy
The sandy scops owl is thought to be basal in the lineage of the genus ''Otus'', along with the
Sokoke scops owl
The Sokoke scops owl (''Otus ireneae'') is a highly localized species of scops owl found in lowland forests of Kenya and Tanzania. The greatest population of this species of owl is in the '' Cynometra- Manilkara'' forest, which is less than one- ...
(''Otus ireneae''), but there has been no genetic material for testing from the sandy scops owl.
In addition, some authorities consider that the subspecies of sandy scops owl should be treated as two different species.
Subspecies
Two subspecies are currently recognised:
*''Otus icterorhynchus icterorhynchus'': West Africa
*''Otus icterorhynchus holerythrus'': northwestern central Africa.
Description
A small owl which has an overall pale rufous colour, a plain face, a pale yellow bill and yellow eyes. The pale stripe along the shoulders is quite obvious. The adults are pale rufous brown, finely spotted with white and barred with buff. The underparts are paler and more rufous with buff bars and white spots on the belly and vent. The tail, flight feathers and greater upperwing coverts are rufous barred with black. Length is about , and wingspan is .
Voice
The sound is a long whistling "twooo" which descends in pitch.
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Distribution and habitat
The sandy scops owl has a scattered distribution across the African tropical rainforest ; it has been recorded from Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
, Cameroon
Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
, Gabon
Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the nort ...
, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
and Central African Republic
The Central African Republic (CAR; ; , RCA; , or , ) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the southeast, the DR Congo to the south, the Republic of th ...
.
Behaviour
The sandy scops owl is rarely seen and little is known about its habits. It is probably crepuscular and insectivorous[ feeding largely on grasshoppers and crickets. The breeding season is probably during February and March.]
References
BirdLife Species Factsheet
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1266781
sandy scops owl
Birds of the African tropical rainforest
Birds of prey of Sub-Saharan Africa
sandy scops owl
sandy scops owl