Alternative name: Sipora Scops Owl
- Otus mentawi
Identification
20cm. Has a rufous-chestnut and a blackish-brown morph.
- Whitish prominent ear-tufts and eyebrows with dark mottles
- Upperparts with dark blotches and streaks
- Paler underparts with black shaft streaks enclosing small whitish ocelli
- Tarsi feathered to toes
- Eyes are dark even though they have frequently been depicted with yellow eyes
Sexes similar, juveniles undescribed.
Similar species
Indian Scops Owl is very similar but has a white collar (and ranges don't overlap).
Distribution
Endemic to Mentawai islands (Siberut to south Pagai) , off west Sumatra, Indonesia.
Seems to be rare and patchily distributed, but status poorly known.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species.
Has been treated conspecific with Indian Scops Owl, Sunda Scops Owl, Oriental Scops Owl or Sulawesi Scops Owl but all have different vocalisations.
Habitat
Found in lowland rainforest and secondary growth, also near or in villages.
Sometimes seen on exposed branches.
Behaviour
Diet
Feeds apparently on insects.
Breeding
No information.
Movements
Presumably a sedentary species.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, B.L. Sullivan, C. L. Wood, and D. Roberson. 2013. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.8., with updates to August 2013. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliot, and J Sargatal, eds. 1999. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 5: Barn-Owls to Hummingbirds. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8487334252
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Mentawai Scops Owl. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 17 January 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Mentawai_Scops_Owl
