White-fronted scops owl

White-fronted scops owl
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Strigiformes
Family: Strigidae
Genus: Otus
Species: O. sagittatus
Binomial name
Otus sagittatus
(Cassin, 1848)

The white-fronted scops owl (Otus sagittatus) is a small owl in the family Strigidae. It has a small and declining population about which little is known, and is dependent on lowland and foothill forests which are rapidly being destroyed. This species of owl is considered vulnerable and has a population of about 2,500–10,000. Its range covers 149,000 km2 (58,000 sq mi) of forest from 0–700 m (0–2,297 ft) above sea-level. The main threat to this Asian owl is habitat loss.

The white-fronted scops owl has two camouflage modes. The first is that is the little owl can puff up its feathers to triple its size. The second is that it can stretch it body upwards and turn its head at an angle in the direction of the predator it's hiding from, to look very thin, almost invisible. When the owl does this it is usually trying to protect itself, its mate, or its brood.

References

  1. ↑ BirdLife International (2012). "Otus sagittatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
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