South Africa Wildlife
Scops Owl {Otus senegalensis}
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.
View Birder-friendly Accommodation (registered with Birdlife South Africa):
Gauteng Birder Friendly, Free State Birder Friendly, Limpopo Birder Friendly, Mpumalanga Birder Friendly
Eastern Cape Birder Friendly, Garden Route Birder Friendly, KwaZulu Natal Birder Friendly
Northern Cape Birder Friendly, North West Province Birder Friendly, Western Cape Birder Friendly
Gauteng Birder Friendly, Free State Birder Friendly, Limpopo Birder Friendly, Mpumalanga Birder Friendly
Eastern Cape Birder Friendly, Garden Route Birder Friendly, KwaZulu Natal Birder Friendly
Northern Cape Birder Friendly, North West Province Birder Friendly, Western Cape Birder Friendly




