White-fronted scops owl
| White-fronted scops owl | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Strigiformes |
| Family: | Strigidae |
| Genus: | Otus |
| Species: | O. sagittatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Otus sagittatus (Cassin, 1848) | |
The white-fronted scops owl (Otus sagittatus) is a small owl in the family Strigidae. It has a small and declining population about which little is known, and is dependent on lowland and foothill forests which are rapidly being destroyed. This species of owl is considered vulnerable and has a population of about 2,500–10,000. Its range covers 149,000 km2 (58,000 sq mi) of forest from 0–700 m (0–2,297 ft) above sea-level. The main threat to this Asian owl is habitat loss.
The white-fronted scops owl has two camouflage modes. The first is that is the little owl can puff up its feathers to triple its size. The second is that it can stretch it body upwards and turn its head at an angle in the direction of the predator it's hiding from, to look very thin, almost invisible. When the owl does this it is usually trying to protect itself, its mate, or its brood.
References
- ↑ BirdLife International (2012). "Otus sagittatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Otus sagittatus. |
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Wikispecies has information related to: Otus sagittatus |
- White-fronted Scops Owl at OwlPages.com
- BirdLife species factsheet for Otus sagittatus
- Otus sagittatus on Avibase
- White-fronted scops owl videos, photos, and sounds at the Internet Bird Collection
- Interactive range map of Otus sagittatus at IUCN Red List maps
- Audio recordings of White-fronted scops owl on Xeno-canto.