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Photo: Jan Ebr / CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

Least Concern

Arabian Scops Owl

Otus pamelae

Arabian Scops Owl (Otus pamelae) — Owls of Europe & Northern Asia.

The Arabian Scops Owl (Otus pamelae) is a member of the Strigidae family found in Europe & Northern Asia. Adults weigh 66.5 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

LC Least Concern

Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.

Where it fits

  1. Class Aves
  2. Order Strigiformes
  3. Family Strigidae Owls
  4. Genus Otus
  5. Species pamelae

Where it lives

West-central, southwestern Saudi Arabia, Yemen and southwestern Oman

Quick facts

Weight
66.5 g
Family
Strigidae
Order
Strigiformes
Habitat
Woodland

How to identify

Similar birds

Biology & behaviour

Diet

The Arabian Scops Owl is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.

Behaviour

A bird of semi-open woodland, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.

Migration

The Arabian Scops Owl is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.

The Arabian Scops Owl (Otus pamelae) is a member of the Strigidae family, within the order Strigiformes. Its range spans Europe & Northern Asia. Its distribution covers PAL wc, sw Saudi Arabia, Yemen and sw Oman.

It is a medium-sized bird. Adults weighs around 66.5 g, with a wing length of about 12.3 cm and a tail of around 5.7 cm.

The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.

The species has a mapped global range of roughly 204,000 km².

Songs & calls

Arabian Scops Owl — Song

Recorded by Erik Wahlgren Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How big is the Arabian Scops Owl?

The Arabian Scops Owl is a medium-sized bird that weighs around 66.5 g.

Where does the Arabian Scops Owl live?

The Arabian Scops Owl is found across Europe & Northern Asia with a range covering PAL wc, sw Saudi Arabia, Yemen and sw Oman, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.

What family does the Arabian Scops Owl belong to?

The Arabian Scops Owl (Otus pamelae) belongs to the Strigidae family, in the order Strigiformes.

What does the Arabian Scops Owl eat?

The Arabian Scops Owl is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.

Does the Arabian Scops Owl migrate?

The Arabian Scops Owl is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.

Is the Arabian Scops Owl endangered?

The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.

What sound does the Arabian Scops Owl make?

1 real field recording of the Arabian Scops Owl — including its song — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.

How large is the Arabian Scops Owl's range?

The Arabian Scops Owl has a mapped global range of about 204,000 km².

Conservation

Least Concern

Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.

How to help birds

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Guides for this bird

Meet the Strigidae

A field guide to the Strigidae family — 236 species in the Birbs encyclopedia, with the best-known members to start with.

1 min read

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