Eurasian scops owl

    Otus scops

Castilian: Autillo europeo

Catalan: Xot

Gallego: Moucho de orellas

Euskera: Apo-hontza

CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Strigiformes

Family: Strigidae

Migratory status: Summer resident

CONSERVATION STATUS:

On the National List of Threatened Species, it appears in the “Of Special Interest” category. In the 2004 edition of the Red Book of Spanish Birds (Libro Rojo de las Aves de España) it is listed as “Not Evaluated”.

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THREATS

The use of toxic substances in farming, the transformation of the rural countryside due to the loss of riparian areas and old forests, changes in farming and urban expansion all cause this species to lose its habitat and result in a significant decrease in the availability of prey. Nest plundering and being run over by vehicles should also be mentioned as threats.

Length / size: 19-21 cm / 47-54 cm

Identification: Small bird of prey that has yellowish eyes, greyish or reddish-brown plumage, and a complex pattern of spots and stripes of different shades. This colouration and its two cephalic feathers that look like false "ears" increase its mimetic camouflage and it is able to go unnoticed while resting on tree branches.

Song: It makes a characteristic fluty sound, "teeoo", that it repeats approximately every two seconds.

Diet: It feeds on invertebrates of a certain size, such as moths, crickets and grasshoppers; it sometimes catches rodents, reptiles, and small birds, and occasionally it chases bats and large insects in flight.

Reproduction: In our country, it begins in April. The species prefers woodpecker nests, hollows in walls and rock walls, human structures, old crow nests and nesting boxes. The eggs are incubated by the female and, after they hatch, she cares for them while the male brings food. After a few weeks, the female also joins the search for food.

HABITAT

It occupies thin forest areas, such as grasslands, riverside forests, pine groves and even parks and gardens in cities and towns. It usually breeds from sea level up to an elevation of just over 1,000 metres.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: It is distributed throughout the entire peninsula, with the greatest densities in the Mediterranean region and in the Balearic Islands.

In Castile and León: It breeds in all the provinces, although it is rare in mountainous areas, especially in northern León.

Movements and migrations: It is a trans-Saharan migrant, although part of the European population behave as residents. In Spain, there are sedentary specimens in the Mediterranean regions and in the south, and specimens from the rest of Europe can also winter there. The postnuptial migration takes place in August, and they return to their breeding areas in March-April.

POPULATION

In Spain: At the end of the 1990s there was an estimated population of 30000-35000 breeding pairs.

In Castile and León: There is an estimated population of 3000-5000 breeding pairs.