Class Aves Family Strigidae Scientific name Otus icterorhynchus | Phylum Chordata Order Strigiformes Genus Otus Rank Species | |
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Similar Andaman scops owl, Palawan scops owl, Rajah scops owl, Wallace's scops owl, Mindoro scops owl | ||
The sandy scops owl (Otus icterorhynchus), or cinnamon scops owl, is an owl form the familay Strigidae found in Africa.
Contents
Description
A small owl which has an overall pale rufous colour, a plain face, a pale yellow bill and yellow eyes. The pale stripe along the shoulders is quite obvious. the adults are pale rufous brown, finely spotted with white and barred with buff. The underparts are paler and more rufous with buff bars and white spots on the belly and vent. The tailail, flight feathers and greater upperwing coverts are rufous barred with black. Length is about 15 centimetres (5.9 in), wingspan is 45 cm (18 in).
Voice
The sound is a long whistling "twooo" which descends in pitch.
Distribution and habitat
The sandy scops owl is found in equatorial west and central Africa and has a rather scattered distribution. It has been recorded from Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo and Central African Republic.
The sandy scops owl occurs in lowland evergreen forest, open canopy forest and scrub, or in open forest mosaic land.
Habits
The sandy scops owl is a very rare and liitle known bird, It is probably crepuscular and insectivorous feeding largely grasshoppers and crickets. The breeding is probably from in February-March.
Subspecies
Two subspecies are currently recognised.
Taxonomy
The sandy scops owl is thought to be basal in the lineage of the genus Otus, along with the Sokoke scops owl Otus ireneae, but there has been no genetic material for testing from the sandy scops owl. In addition some authorities consider that the subspecies of sandy scops owl should be teated as two different species.