Indian Scops Owl (Otus bakkamoena)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Indian Scops Owl

Otus bakkamoena Pennant, 1769

138 gWeight

The Indian scops owl (Otus bakkamoena) is a species of owl native to South Asia.

Busiest months: February · Most records: India, Sri Lanka, Nepal

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: February · Most records: India, Sri Lanka, Nepal

Indian Scops Owl has been recorded at 168 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 5 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Bharatpur – Keoladeo Ghana NPIndia1,863 records
  2. Kanha NP – Mukki ZoneIndia734 records
  3. Bangalore Life Science ClusterIndia549 records
More places
  1. Rishi Valley – School CampusIndia487 records
  2. Indroda Nature ParkIndia465 records
  3. Ranthambore NPIndia353 records
  4. Thattekkad Bird SanctuaryIndia303 records
  5. Bhondsi Nature ParkIndia270 records
  6. Bharatpur – Keoladeo Ghana NP – Sapan MoriIndia252 records
  7. Sultanpur National ParkIndia248 records

Countries and regions with the most records

IndiaSri LankaNepalBangladeshPakistan

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The Indian scops owl (Otus bakkamoena) is a species of owl native to South Asia.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Indian Scops Owl?

The Indian Scops Owl weighs around 138 g.

Where does the Indian Scops Owl live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic, Oriental: southern Pakistan, central, southern India and Sri Lanka. It is most often recorded in India, Sri Lanka and Nepal.

When is the best time to see the Indian Scops Owl?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in February (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Indian Scops Owl endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Indian Scops Owl as Least Concern.

What does the Indian Scops Owl eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Indian Scops Owl in?

It belongs to the family Owls (Strigidae), order Strigiformes.

At a glance

Weight
138 g
Habitat
Forest
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Perches in trees
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
146 mm
Tail
75 mm
Bill
20 mm
Tarsus
30 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Palearctic, Oriental: southern Pakistan, central, southern India and Sri Lanka

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Family
Owls Strigidae
Genus
Otus

Other birds in the genus Otus

Giant Scops OwlGiant Scops OwlOtus gurneyiWhite-fronted Scops OwlWhite-fronted Scops OwlOtus sagittatusReddish Scops OwlReddish Scops OwlOtus rufescensSerendib Scops OwlSerendib Scops OwlOtus thilohoffmanniSandy Scops OwlSandy Scops OwlOtus icterorhynchusSokoke Scops OwlSokoke Scops OwlOtus ireneaeAndaman Scops OwlAndaman Scops OwlOtus balliFlores Scops OwlFlores Scops OwlOtus alfrediMountain Scops OwlMountain Scops OwlOtus spilocephalusJavan Scops OwlJavan Scops OwlOtus angelinaeMindanao Scops OwlMindanao Scops OwlOtus mirusLuzon Scops OwlLuzon Scops OwlOtus longicornis
Indian Scops Owl

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Avinash Bhagat. ↗

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