Scops Owl {Otus senegalensis}

South Africa Wildlife

Scops Owl {Otus senegalensis}

The African Scops Owl
The African Scops Owl

The African Scops Owl is a common, sometimes abundant, resident of Savannah woodland. Scops Owls feed mostly on insects and spiders and breed in a tree cavity.

The Scops Owl is fully nocturnal and mostly insectivorous. It is a bird of scrub and bush territory, and often uses ground nest sites for breeding.





Quick Facts


Name: Otus senegalensis

Size: 17cm

Habitat: Savannah Woodlands.

Distribution: Scops Owl is resident throughout most of Africa south of the Sahara

Diet: Insects and spiders.

Reproduction: 4-6 eggs laid in tree cavity from April - June. Incubation about 27 days. Young fledge by about 30 days.

Call: Series of low, hollow dove like notes.

Socialisation: The Scops Owl is fully nocturnal and mostly insectivorous. It is a bird of scrub and bush territory, and often uses ground nest sites for breeding.

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