Principe Scops-Owl

Otus bikegila

Small, richly colored owl with small ear tufts. There are two morphs: one rich rufous and the other pale gray-brown. Found in lowland rainforest on the island of Principe. The vocalization is a series of hollow “klow” notes, similar to those of African Scops-Owl, but delivered much more quickly, about one note / second. Easily identified, as the only other owl on Principe is the much larger Barn Owl.

Identification

Small, richly colored owl with small ear tufts. There are two morphs: one rich rufous and the other pale gray-brown. Found in lowland rainforest on the island of Principe. The vocalization is a series of hollow “klow” notes, similar to those of African Scops-Owl, but delivered much more quickly, about one note / second. Easily identified, as the only other owl on Principe is the much larger Barn Owl.

Taxonomy

Genus: Otus; Family: Strigidae; Order: Strigiformes.

Scientific name
Otus bikegila
Authority
Melo, Freitas, Verbelen, da Costa, Pereira, Fuchs, Sangster, Correia, de Lima & Crottini, 2022
Order
Strigiformes
Family
Strigidae
Genus
Otus

Range and habitat

Migration
Resident species

Behavior

Migration pattern: Resident species.

Conservation

Population trend: declining.

Population trend
declining

Photos

Distribution

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