From Opus

Photo by Jugal Tiwari
Little Rann of Kutch India, February 2009

Alternative name: Striated Scops-Owl

Otus brucei

[edit] Identification

Distincly streaked on back and wing coverts due to black feather-shafts. Similar in appearance to the Common Scops Owl but with more distinct streaks on the back and less intricate markings. Lack the impression of bark that the plumage of CSO gives, and has only a faint dark rim around the facial disk which is paler than in CSO.
Juvenile white, but the next plumage similar to adult except for more wooly look. Is distinctly, finely barred both on upper and lower side and crown.

[edit] Distribution

Middle East to West and Central Asia, with some populations moving as far as the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt, and India in the winter.

[edit] Taxonomy

Four subspecies are recognized: brucei, obsoletus, semenovi, and exiguus.

[edit] Habitat

Semi-open country with trees and bushes.

[edit] Behaviour

Its diet includes insects, lizards, spiders, and small mammals. It occasionally hunts during the day.

Breeding takes place any time between April and June, where 4 to 6 eggs are laid in a tree cavity, such as a woodpecker hole. Incubation takes approximately 27 days, and the juveniles are fledged at 30 days.

[edit] References

1. Clements, James F. 2007. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to October 2007. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801445019
2. König, C. and F. Weick 2008. Owls of the World, second edition. Christopher Helm, London. ISBN 978-0-7136-6548-2

[edit] External Links