Ryūkyū scops owl

The Ryukyu scops owl (Ryūkyū scops owl) or elegant scops owl (Otus elegans) is a small rufous-brown owl with a brown face disk and a cinnamon facial ruff. The bill is olive-grey and it has yellow eyes.

Ryūkyū scops owl
Conservation status
Near Threatened  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Strigiformes
Family:	Strigidae
Genus:	Otus
Species:	O. elegans
Binomial name
Otus elegans (Cassin, 1852)

The Otus elegans botelensis is a territorial bird. As their beaks are unable to make holes in the trees, their nests are mainly made in naturally decayed tree holes or holes that have been made by other animals. Occasionally traces of their nests can be found in man-made constructions such as drainage holes or toilets’ water tanks. Their staple diet includes katydids, moths, millipedes, and other invertebrates. Occasionally they feed on geckos, lizards or even Japanese White-eye and other small vertebrates.^[3]: 3

Distribution

The distribution of the Otus elegans botelensis is restricted by the distribution of naturally occurring tree holes. The size of the holes is usually a diameter at breast height (dbh) of more than 38 cm.^[4] Different type of trees provides differing quantities of such holes for the Otus elegans botelensis. Observation had revealed that tree holes are more likely to form in Pometia pinnata compared to other types of tree, therefore, areas with lots of Pometia pinnata have greater densities of the Otus elegans botelensis.^[3]: 7 It is found on the Ryukyu Islands of southern Japan, on Lanyu Island off south-east Taiwan, and on the Batanes and Babuyan Islands off northern Luzon, Philippines, in tropical or subtropical evergreen forest. It is becoming rare due to habitat loss.

Subspecies

• O. e. elegans (Cassin, 1852)
• O. e. calayensis McGregor, 1904
• O. e. interpositus Kuroda, 1923
• O. e. botelensis Kuroda, 1928 - Lanyu Scops Owl