Photo: jack walf / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Collared Scops Owl
Otus lettia
Collared Scops Owl (Otus lettia) — Owls of South & Southeast Asia.
Found across 6 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Collared Scops Owl (Otus lettia) is a member of the Strigidae family found in South & Southeast Asia. Adults weigh 139 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Strigiformes
- Family Strigidae Owls
- Genus Otus
- Species lettia
Where it lives
Western Himalayas through Thai-Malay Pen., southern China, northern Indochina and Taiwan
Quick facts
- Weight
- 139 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Strigidae
- Order
- Strigiformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Endangered
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Collared Scops Owl is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Collared Scops Owl is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Collared Scops Owl (Otus lettia) belongs to the Strigidae family of the order Strigiformes. It is found across South & Southeast Asia. Its distribution covers OR w Himalayas through Thai-Malay Pen., s China, n Indochina and Taiwan.
It is a medium-sized bird. Adults weighs around 139 g, with a wing length of about 15.6 cm and a tail of around 8.1 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 4.2 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Collared Scops Owl?
The Collared Scops Owl is a medium-sized bird that weighs around 139 g.
Where does the Collared Scops Owl live?
The Collared Scops Owl is found across South & Southeast Asia with a range covering OR w Himalayas through Thai-Malay Pen., s China, n Indochina and Taiwan, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Collared Scops Owl belong to?
The Collared Scops Owl (Otus lettia) belongs to the Strigidae family, in the order Strigiformes.
What does the Collared Scops Owl eat?
The Collared Scops Owl is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Collared Scops Owl migrate?
The Collared Scops Owl is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Collared 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 Collared Scops Owl make?
1 real field recording of the Collared Scops Owl — including its call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Collared Scops Owl's range?
The Collared Scops Owl has a mapped global range of about 4.2 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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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.