Otus scops

The Western Scops Owl is 16-20 cm long and has a wingspan of 145-168 cm. The tail is 67-75 cm long. It weighs 60-135 grams. Females are heavier than males. Both sexes are similar, with a gray-brown facial disc with fine markings and not very prominent edges. The facial disc is surrounded by an inconspicuous light brown ruff; the eyes are white with black feather tips; the chin is brown-white, and the upper body, including the wings and tail, is gray-brown on the surface, covered with black-colored insect-like fine spots, and the top of the head to the back is mixed with brown and white spots; the ear tufts on the head are long, and when the feathers are loose, it is difficult to see the ear tufts. When scared, this owl will become very slender, and the ear hairs will stand upright.
The base of the feathers is brown, and the tips of the feathers are the same color as the top feathers; the outer vanes of the outer shoulder feathers have large brown-white spots, and the tips of the fea

The Western Scops Owl is mainly distributed in southern Europe, northern Africa, and Central Asia, including Xinjiang, China. Some Western Scops Owls migrate to sub-Saharan Africa to overwinter. The distribution in China is extremely limited.
Resident birds: Algeria, Equatorial Guinea, France, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, North Macedonia, Spain, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine and Western Sahara.
Breeding places: Afghanistan, Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Georgia, Gibraltar, Hungary, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Pakistan, Palestine, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Non-breeding: Cameroon, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Malta, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, South

The Western Red Scops Owl, whose foreign name is Eurasian Scops-owl, has 5 subspecies.

In 2015, following a detailed review by Flint et al., "Otus scops" was classified into Western red scops (Otus scops) and Cyprus scops (Otus cyprius) based on significant vocal differences and slight feather characteristics. ).

The Western Red Scops Owl is a nocturnal bird, most active from sunset to midnight. Roosts in trees during the day, usually near tree trunks, or in dense foliage, cavities in mature trees or rocks, holes in walls, and similar locations. The evening session often begins with a quick call at or near the roost. Occasionally, some notes may be heard from the habitat during the day.

Sound of the Western Red Scops Owl: The male bird's call consists of a long series of monosyllabic flute-like notes, descending in pitch, with each section lasting 0.2-0.3 seconds and an interval of 2-3 seconds "kyoot kyoot kyoot kyoot kyoot..." . Unpaired females have a similar but longer-lasting and higher-pitched song. When mated, the female emits a high-pitched, slightly husky note. During courtship, the duet of the male and female gives the impression of a song of two syllables, high and low. The contact voice is a soft whisper. When frightened, both sexes emit loud, shrill calls, similar to those of chestnut owls.

Western red scops owls feed mainly on insects such as grasshoppers, beetles, moths, cicadas, spiders, caterpillars and earthworms, as well as small vertebrates such as small mammals, small birds, reptiles and frogs. They are often attracted to artificial lighting to catch moths and other insects that have settled nearby. Larger prey are usually captured by swooping from a perch. Small prey is caught with the beak, while larger prey is caught with the talons. Food pellets average 25 x 20 mm.

For the migratory population of Western Red Scops Owls, the breeding season begins upon return from winter. For resident birds such as southern Spain, the season starts in February. The breeding season in the Indian subcontinent is February-May. During courtship, the male and female sing in pairs. The male sings first at night near a potential nesting site, the female answers and the birds begin a duet. Mating is frequent after such duets. The male then flies to a potential nest, enters and calls through the opening. Once the female has inspected and accepted the nest, the pair will approach each night. Nesting sites include natural cavities in trees, rocks or walls, woodpecker holes in tree trunks or thick branches, or holes in steep ditches or sand traps, or even under roofs. Artificial nest boxes are also accepted.

Usually only one litter is produced per year. Spawning begins in late April or May and ends in the first half of June, sometimes in July. Usually 3-4 (sometimes 2-6) white eggs are laid every two days, directly at the bottom of the nest. Oval, average 31 × 27 mm. Incubation begins with the second egg and is accomplished by the female alone, while the male provides food. The eggs hatch after 20-31 days, depending on the climate. The female alone incubates and feeds the chicks for about 18 days, while the male provides the food.

The chicks are blind when hatching, their eyes begin to open at 6-8 days, and fully open at 11-13 days. Reflux of bolus begins at approximately 6-9 days. At 3-4 weeks, the young leave the nest, land on the ground, climb into trees or bushes with their beaks and talons, and beat with their wings. At about 33 days, they are fully capable of flight. They are cared for and fed by both parents for 4-5 weeks before becoming independent. Sexual maturity is approximately 10 months.

In 2015, the European population of the Western Red Scops Owl was estimated at 227,000-381,000 pairs, equivalent to 454,000-762,000 mature individuals. Europe accounts for approximately 57% of the global range, so a preliminary estimate of the global population size of the species is 796,000-1,337,000 mature individuals, but this estimate needs to be further verified. This data is placed on 790,000-1,400,000 mature individuals.

The western red scops owl population is declining due to continued habitat destruction. In Europe, trends in species population size are unknown (BirdLife International 2015).

Listed in the "World Conservation Union Red List of Threatened Species" (IUCN) 2019 ver3.1 - Least Concern (LC).

Listed in Appendix I, Appendix II and Appendix III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) 2019 version of Appendix II.

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