Ryukyu Scops Owl

Otus elegans (Cassin, 1852)

Ryukyu Scops Owl, Otus elegans, breeds in the Ryukyu Islands, Daito Islands and Okinoshima off southern Kyushu in Japan, as well as Taiwan and the far northern Philippines. It is a small owl with a rufous-brown plumage, a brown facial disk and a cinnamon facial ruff. Its bill is olive-grey and its eyes are yellow. Otus elegans botelensis is territorial. It nests in natural tree cavities or in holes made by other animals, and sometimes uses man-made structures such as drainage holes or water tanks.

Order

Strigiformes

Family

Strigidae — Owls

Breeding range

Oriental Region: Ryukyu Is., Daito Is., and Okinoshima, off s Kyushu (s Japan) and Taiwan to far n Philippines