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What is a Scops Owl? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Andrew
- Start date
Edward woodwood
Member
Andrew
you will need a qualified taxonomist to get a complete and thorough answer to this question
you will need a qualified taxonomist to get a complete and thorough answer to this question
cuckooroller
Registered User
Andrew,
An interesting question. I imagine a museum curator could give a more exhaustive response as to what morphologically constitutes any "normal" owl, and I read your "normal" as being "typical" owl (sensu strictu). I think the original generic name Otus, in which all of the so-called Scops-owls, or those in the New World, called Screech-owls were originally placed was, and to some extent, still is a catch-all grouping not originally defined by strict morphological features other than that of that derived from the Greek: Scops = the little horned owl. In light of recent mtDNA hybridization analyses some of these "typical" owls (i.e. in Strigidae) are being redefined and put into other genera. To wit, the recent redefinition of the former (African) White-faced Scops-Owl being renamed in the common name and being placed in a new genus (by some) - Ptilopsis. The so-called New World Screech-owls, once in Otus, have been recollocated, based more on their distribution, than on any real morphological bases and placed in new genus Megascops, at least on the SM and Clement's classification. Others formerly in Otus have been differentiated and placed in other genera previously, such as Pyrroglaux and Gymnoglaux. So, all in all, the original collocation of all these owls in genus Otus, was by convention, and they are now all being re-examined.
Don't know if this helps or not.
An interesting question. I imagine a museum curator could give a more exhaustive response as to what morphologically constitutes any "normal" owl, and I read your "normal" as being "typical" owl (sensu strictu). I think the original generic name Otus, in which all of the so-called Scops-owls, or those in the New World, called Screech-owls were originally placed was, and to some extent, still is a catch-all grouping not originally defined by strict morphological features other than that of that derived from the Greek: Scops = the little horned owl. In light of recent mtDNA hybridization analyses some of these "typical" owls (i.e. in Strigidae) are being redefined and put into other genera. To wit, the recent redefinition of the former (African) White-faced Scops-Owl being renamed in the common name and being placed in a new genus (by some) - Ptilopsis. The so-called New World Screech-owls, once in Otus, have been recollocated, based more on their distribution, than on any real morphological bases and placed in new genus Megascops, at least on the SM and Clement's classification. Others formerly in Otus have been differentiated and placed in other genera previously, such as Pyrroglaux and Gymnoglaux. So, all in all, the original collocation of all these owls in genus Otus, was by convention, and they are now all being re-examined.
Don't know if this helps or not.
Last edited:
Edward woodwood
Member
Nice one Steve
it does help...only if to show that Scops Owl is only now really a loose grouping under the English name and not a true reflection of evolutionary similarites
it does help...only if to show that Scops Owl is only now really a loose grouping under the English name and not a true reflection of evolutionary similarites
Andrew said:
Hi Andrew,
The Scops Owl comes under the family Strigidae and from the genus otus. There are 41 species of Scops Owls and the genus Otus with the exception of Australia is represented worldwide.
The largest of these is Otus saittatus White-fronted Scops Owl.
The taxonomic relationships amongst the Otus genus has yet to be fully worked out and understood.
Suricate
Edward woodwood
Member
The analysis is on the simplified side and is much more complicated than indicated at......
all 'Scops Owls' are indeed in Otus but Otus also includes 'Screech Owls' - the New World equivalent. Scops Owls really include Screech Owls too....at the moment
the taxonomy of the 'Scops' is very complicated with different colour morphs etc clouding the issue and there may be several incipient species esp on some Asian islands.....
For example the Scops Owls at Cibodas in Java are Javan Scops Owls (O. angelinae) but no-one really knows what they call like and I never saw one despite a lot of hard searching over the months. Their habits are making them difficult to study.......
OOPs sorry Steve, I covered a bit of the same ground as you did earlier!
all 'Scops Owls' are indeed in Otus but Otus also includes 'Screech Owls' - the New World equivalent. Scops Owls really include Screech Owls too....at the moment
the taxonomy of the 'Scops' is very complicated with different colour morphs etc clouding the issue and there may be several incipient species esp on some Asian islands.....
For example the Scops Owls at Cibodas in Java are Javan Scops Owls (O. angelinae) but no-one really knows what they call like and I never saw one despite a lot of hard searching over the months. Their habits are making them difficult to study.......
OOPs sorry Steve, I covered a bit of the same ground as you did earlier!
cuckooroller
Registered User
Tim Allwood said:
Tim,
There's room here for everybody and that's for sure. Southeast Asian Otus is already screwed up enough. I can't wait until somebody finally gets around to trying to figuring out Ninox, and though not in Strigidae, the Batrachostomidae. Ninox, in particular, is a big mess!!
:h?:
But how different are the "screech owls"? That's not a rhetorical question - it's something I've often wondered. I only know them from photos and field guides, but the impression I get is that they look damned similar to European Scops Owl. In the (admittedly unlikely) event that a Eastern Screech Owl ever hitched a lift over here and stumbled onto the British List, I wonder how many records of Scops Owl would survive the BBRC's ensuing review.Tim Allwood said:
Jason
Hi,
For all those who want a quick look at the species, just posted a Scops image to the gallery at:
http://www.birdforum.net/pp_gallery/showphoto.php/photo/20362/password//sort/1/cat/all/page/1
Cheers!
Sumit
For all those who want a quick look at the species, just posted a Scops image to the gallery at:
http://www.birdforum.net/pp_gallery/showphoto.php/photo/20362/password//sort/1/cat/all/page/1
Cheers!
Sumit
Hi Jason,
If so,then the ID implications could be horrific!
On the subject of vagrant Scops Owls,I would hazard a guess that this must be one of the most overlooked vagrants there is,purely by virtue of its strictly nocturnal habits.All of the recent Irish records were of birds found dead or dying,caught in mist nets by chance(the Cape Clear bird in 1999,which was twitchable for 1-2 nights,but most of us couldn't go down midweek and stay overnight.),or heard calling(a 1974 record from Co.Fermanagh was accepted on the basis of an audio tape recording of the call:we have no feral Midwife Toads to worry about!)
ne wonders how many are actually turning up?
If we get suitable conditions for overshoots this spring,it may be worth keeping a sharp eye out for a roosting bird,or even staying late at a local headland with sufficient tree cover....
Harry
While I doubt that a genuine Eastern Screech Owl could make it across the Atlantic,I wonder if perhaps the species may be kept in captivity in Europe?Bluetail said:
If so,then the ID implications could be horrific!
On the subject of vagrant Scops Owls,I would hazard a guess that this must be one of the most overlooked vagrants there is,purely by virtue of its strictly nocturnal habits.All of the recent Irish records were of birds found dead or dying,caught in mist nets by chance(the Cape Clear bird in 1999,which was twitchable for 1-2 nights,but most of us couldn't go down midweek and stay overnight.),or heard calling(a 1974 record from Co.Fermanagh was accepted on the basis of an audio tape recording of the call:we have no feral Midwife Toads to worry about!)
ne wonders how many are actually turning up?If we get suitable conditions for overshoots this spring,it may be worth keeping a sharp eye out for a roosting bird,or even staying late at a local headland with sufficient tree cover....
Harry
steve_nova
Well-known member
cuckooroller said:
Did anyone else notice this pun?
