Seychelles Scops Owl (Otus insularis)
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Seychelles Scops Owl

Otus insularis (Tristram, 1880)

19–21 cmLength144 gWeight

The Seychelles scops owl or Seychelles owl (Otus insularis), also known as bare-legged scops owl or syer (in Creole) is a rare scops owl species, which only occurs in the Morne Seychellois National Park on the Seychelles island of Mahé.

Most records: Seychelles

Critically Endangered

Where and when it's recorded

Most records: Seychelles

Seychelles Scops Owl has been recorded at 1 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 1 country or region.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Beau Vallon BeachSeychelles1 record

Countries and regions with the most records

Seychelles

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 Seychelles scops owl or Seychelles owl (Otus insularis), also known as bare-legged scops owl or syer (in Creole) is a rare scops owl species, which only occurs in the Morne Seychellois National Park on the Seychelles island of Mahé.

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

Questions

How big is the Seychelles Scops Owl?

The Seychelles Scops Owl is about 19–21 cm long and weighs around 144 g.

Where does the Seychelles Scops Owl live?

Its breeding range: Indian Ocean: montane Mahé (southwestern Inner Islands, northeastern Seychelles). It is most often recorded in Seychelles.

Is the Seychelles Scops Owl endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Seychelles Scops Owl as Critically Endangered.

What does the Seychelles Scops Owl eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Seychelles Scops Owl in?

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

At a glance

Length
19–21 cm
Weight
144 g
Habitat
Forest
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Perches in trees
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Critically Endangered
More measurements
Wing
162 mm
Tail
75 mm
Bill
24 mm
Tarsus
34 mm

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

Range

Indian Ocean: montane Mahé (southwestern Inner Islands, northeastern Seychelles)

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
Seychelles Scops Owl

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

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