The São Tomé scops owl (''Otus hartlaubi'') is a species of

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 ...

in the

true 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 ...

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

, Strigidae. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

São Tomé Island São Tomé Island, at , is the largest island of São Tomé and Príncipe and is home in May 2018 to about 193,380 or 96% of the nation's population. The island is divided into six districts. It is located 2 km (1¼ miles) north of the ...

, part of

São Tomé and Príncipe São Tomé and Príncipe (; pt, São Tomé e Príncipe (); English: " Saint Thomas and Prince"), officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe ( pt, República Democrática de São Tomé e Príncipe), is a Portuguese-speaking i ...

, in the

Gulf of Guinea The Gulf of Guinea is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean from Cape Lopez in Gabon, north and west to Cape Palmas in Liberia. The intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian (zero degrees latitude and longitude) is in the ...

, off the western equatorial coast of

Central Africa Central Africa is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries according to different definitions. Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, ...

Description

The São Tomé scops owl is a small, secretive owl with small ear-tufts. It has a light reddish-brown facial disc with a white chin and white eyebrows. The crown and upper-parts are chestnut with rufous wavy markings and black shaft streaks. Their scapulars have white spots and black tips. The flight feathers are buff with white mottling and narrow. There are buff bars on the tail. The underparts are rufous with fine vermiculations of brown and white and bold black streaking. Juveniles are paler. It is a small owl, about long, weighing about . Females of the species are somewhat larger than males.

Voice

The São Tomé scops owl's voice is a high-pitched ‘hu-hu-hu’, and also a low-pitched, raucous ‘kwow’. It differs from the

African scops owl The African scops owl (''Otus senegalensis'') is a small owl which is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa. Taxonomy William John Swainson first described the species in 1837 from a specimen collected in Senegal, and initially assigned it to the no ...

(''Otus senegalensis'') and the flute sounds of the

Eurasian scops owl The Eurasian scops owl (''Otus scops''), also known as the European scops owl or just scops owl, is a small owl in the typical owl family Strigidae. Its breeding range extends from southern Europe eastwards to southern Siberia and the western Hima ...

(''Otus scops'').

Distribution and habitat

This owl species is

, which is part of

, in the

, off the western equatorial coast of

. This owl's natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s are

subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests (TSMF), also known as tropical moist forest, is a subtropical and tropical forest habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Description TSMF is generally found in large, discont ...

and subtropical or tropical moist

montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

where it is relatively widespread and the population is probably several hundred birds.

Behaviour

This species of owl is the only one on the island, except for the common

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 ...

. Its diet consists of insects, grasshoppers, beetles, moths, and small lizards. This owl is

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

(like most owls) and is not shy toward humans. It roosts close to tree trunks or within them. It sometimes calls during the day.

Conservation and status

The continued survival of the São Tomé scops owl depends upon stopping

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

in the remaining lowland rainforest of São Tomé, as does the survival of three other birds: the

São Tomé ibis The São Tomé ibis (''Bostrychia bocagei''), also known as the dwarf olive ibis or the dwarf ibis, is endemism, endemic to São Tomé Island, São Tomé off the western coast of Central Africa and exists inside the Gulf of Guinea. Discovered in t ...

São Tomé olive pigeon The São Tomé olive pigeon or maroon pigeon (''Columba thomensis'') is an endangered species of pigeon which is endemic to the island of São Tomé off the coast of western Africa. It was described by José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage in 1888. ...

, and São Tomé oriole.Kirby, Alex.
"Many threatened birds 'need help'"

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...

(March 8, 2004).

References

External links

BirdLife Species Factsheet.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sao Tome Scops Owl São Tomé scops owl Endemic birds of São Tomé and Príncipe Endemic fauna of São Tomé Island São Tomé scops owl São Tomé scops owl Taxonomy articles created by Polbot