Fun Oriental Scops Owl Facts For Kids
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The oriental scops owl (Otus sunia) is a species of scops owl in the family Strigidae. This species of birds have a distribution range across the Indian subcontinent, China, North Korea, South Korea, Thailand, Japan, Russia, Myanmar, and Southeast Asia.
There are three morph systems found in the species - the gray-brown morph, the rufous morph, and the more uncommon golden morph. Adult species are known to possess one of the morphs. This species is quite famous for it.
There are nine known subspecies of the oriental scops owl. They are known for their small-sized body and agility. Like most owls, the oriental scops owl is also nocturnal and most active at night.
During the day, they are known to roost in trees and bushes. They are known to feed on insects and spiders among many other living species.
The distribution range of the species of birds is quite large and can be found in all kinds of places like forests, orchards, gardens, near city lights, and temples. They are known to make nests in the holes in trees or walls.
The identification of the bird can be described by the two morphs which we will discuss later. The adult female bird is larger than the adult male bird and the juveniles also look like the adult species but only have faint barring on the back and underparts.
The adult species are known to resemble the screech-owls from North America. The conservation status is known to be Least Concern at the moment.
For more relatable content, check out these fun facts about Indian scops owl and Eurasian scops owl for kids.
Oriental Scops Owl Interesting Facts
What type of animal is an oriental scops owl?
The oriental scops owl is a species of owl found in southern and eastern Asia.
What class of animal does an oriental scops owl belong to?
The oriental scops owl (Otus sunia) falls under the class of Aves in the kingdom of Animalia. The owl species of the genus Otus in the family Strigidae are typical owls/true owls. There are two types of owls, typical owls, and barn owls.
How many oriental scops owls are there in the world?
The population of the bird found in the range is not known. However, seeing the large range of area of around 8571467.9 sq mi (22,200,000 sq km), the distribution is quite widespread and the population seems to be stable for now.
Where does an oriental scops owl live?
The oriental scops owl range of habitat is quite large. The bird is found in India, North Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Japan, east Siberia, Taiwan, China, and Andaman and the Nicobar Islands. In India, it is also seen in Assam.
The species is sedentary and is found as residents in the southern part of the range. However, the population living in Russia, China, Japan, North Korea, and South Korea are known to be migratory and travel to southern Thailand, southwest Cambodia, Malaysia, and Indonesia for the purpose of wintering.
What is an oriental scops owl's habitat?
The habitat of the oriental scops owl has a range of forests and woodlands. The birds are found in deciduous and open evergreen forests, farmlands, parks, rural gardens, temperate shrubland, plantations, agricultural fields, sub-montane dry deciduous forests, subtropical forests, dry tropical shrubland, boreal forest, and temperate forest. The altitude range is up to 4921 ft (1500 m).
Who do oriental scops owls live with?
There is not much information on who they live with.
How long does an oriental scops owl live?
The lifespan is not known.
How do they reproduce?
Adult females lay a clutch of three to four white eggs in the nests. In India and Pakistan, the breeding season is from February to May.
In Siberia and China, the breeding season is from April to June and May to June in Japan. The adult females incubate the eggs alone for 25 days and the adult males feed the mother. The newborn chicks are white in color.
Adult males take the hunting duties and both parents feed the chicks. Even after leaving the nests, the chicks depend on the adult species for food for three to four weeks.
What is their conservation status?
The conservation status of the oriental scops owl (Otus sunia) is categorized as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List. The population of the species is stable at the moment and there is no danger to them currently.
Oriental Scops Owl Fun Facts
What do oriental scops owls look like?
The oriental scops owl (Otus sunia) has three different morphs, with one among them very rare. The rufous morph of the bird has the upper parts colored rufous. Dark streaks are seen on the forehead and crown. There are buffy-white spots with blackish edges on the scapular.
The wings have pale and dark barring. The undersides are buffy white or paler. There are dark shaft streaks on the neck and breast on the rufous morph.
The facial disk is colored pale rufous and has a white area around the bill. They also have white eyebrows. The ear tufts are short. Ear tufts are seen laying flat against the head.
The gray-brown morph has fewer patterns on the upper parts. The underparts have strong black streakings. The plumage is colored reddish-brown or gray-brown. The birds have a blackish bill.
The irises are yellow and the claws are blackish-brown of the gray-brown morph of the oriental scops owl. North American resident birds, the screech-owls have many similarities with the small oriental scops owl with ear tufts. An adult oriental scops owl is similar in size to the whiskered-screech owl of North America.
The adult grayish morph of the species is similar to the Sunda scops owl but is smaller in size.
How cute are they?
Owls are usually not considered cute.
How do they communicate?
Owls communicate by vocal cues.
How big is an oriental scops owl?
The length of the bird is around 6.7-8.2 in (17-20.8 cm), while the wingspan is 16.9-20.8 in (43-52.8 cm).
How fast can an oriental scops owl fly?
The speed is not known.
How much does an oriental scops owl weigh?
The weight of the species is 0.16-0.21 lb (72.5-95.2 g).
What are the male and female names of the species?
The males and females of the oriental scops owl (Otus sunia) are not given different names.
What would you call a baby oriental scops owl?
Babies are called chicks or owlets.
What do they eat?
The oriental scops owl (Otus sunia) is known to feed mostly on large insects. The diet includes insects like locusts, grasshoppers, mantises, and cicadas. They also have a diet of small birds and lizards and sometimes also include small mammals. The birds are found feeding along the forest edge and in open areas of the woodland habitat.
Owls typically are known to feed on different reptiles and birds, and also sometimes on smaller owls. The main food for adult birds is insects. They even feed on rabbits.
Are they dangerous?
They are not considered dangerous.
Would they make a good pet?
Owls are not usually considered pets.
Did you know...
They are known to eat reptiles, insects, mammals, and birds.
What are the different morphs of the oriental scops owl?
Although most people consider two morphs - gray-brown morph and bright rufous morph, there is also a third morph which is uncommon. It is called the golden morph.
What is the oriental scops owl's call?
The oriental scops owl call is quite variable with respect to the range of the habitats. The call sounds like 'kroik ku kjooh'.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these hummingbird facts and dodo facts for kids.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable oriental scops owl coloring pages.
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A skilled content writer, Ritwik holds a Bachelor's degree in English from Delhi University. He has refined his writing abilities through his past experience at PenVelope and his current role at Kidadl. In addition to his proficiency in writing, Ritwik has pursued his passion for flying by achieving CPL training and becoming a licensed commercial pilot. This diverse skill set highlights his commitment to exploring multiple fields. Ritwik's experience in the aviation industry has provided him with a unique perspective and attention to detail, which he brings to his writing.
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