The mountain scops owl (''Otus spilocephalus''), sometimes referred to as the spotted scops owl, is a species of

owl Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...

in the family

Strigidae The true owls or typical owls (family (biology), family Strigidae) are one of the two generally accepted families of owls, the other being the barn owls and bay owls (Tytonidae). This large family comprises 230 living or recently extinct species ...

. It is locally common in its main

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

which covers some parts of Asia, including Bangladesh Bhutan, Pakistan, India, Malaysia, Nepal, Taiwan, and Thailand. It is an altitudinal migrant. It has a short high-pitched

call Call or Calls may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * Call (poker), a bet matching an opponent's * Call, in the game of contract bridge, a bid, pass, double, or redouble in the bidding stage Music and dance * Call (band), from L ...

. Their call sounds like a two-note whistle, "plew-plew" or "he-he", although the female's songs are rarely heard. Their calls can also vary between different populations allowing one to determine a bird's origin. Mountain scops owl juv

References

BirdLife Species Factsheet
*http://www.owlpages.com/owls.php?genus=Otus&species=spilocephalus *https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/om/om025.pdf *www.jstor.org/stable/3676817

External links

mountain scops owl Birds of South China Birds of the Himalayas Birds of Eastern Himalaya Birds of Southeast Asia mountain scops owl mountain scops owl {{Strigiformes-stub