Ryukyu Scops Owl (Otus elegans)
About the Ryukyu Scops Owl
The Ryukyu scops owl (Ryūkyū scops owl) or elegant scops owl (Otus elegans) is a small rufous-brown owl with a brown face disk and a cinnamon facial ruff. The bill is olive-grey and it has yellow eyes. Otus elegans botelensis is a territorial bird. As their beaks are unable to make holes in the trees, their nests are mainly made in naturally decayed tree holes or holes that have been made by other animals. Occasionally traces of their nests can be found in man-made constructions such as drainage holes or toilets' water tanks. Their staple diet includes katydids, moths, millipedes, and other invertebrates. Occasionally they feed on geckos, lizards or even Japanese white-eye and other small vertebrates.
No audio on this page yet
We only publish recordings we may use commercially, because this site is supported by ads. xeno-canto lists 98 recordings for this species: 3 CC BY-NC-SA. None of them permits commercial use, so there is no player here — the page is kept as a profile so the bird is not missing from the guide.
As soon as someone uploads a freely licensed recording, we mirror it and the player appears here.
Listed as recorded in China, Japan, Philippines, Taiwan (China) in the xeno-canto catalogue.
Related species you can hear
- Collared Scops OwlOtus lettiarecording
- Eurasian Scops OwlOtus scopsrecording
- Flores Scops OwlOtus alfredirecording
- Indian Scops OwlOtus bakkamoenarecording
- Mindoro Scops OwlOtus mindorensisrecording
- Moluccan Scops OwlOtus magicusrecording
This species has no recording here yet — these relatives do, so you can hear what the family sounds like.