Collared Scops Owl - BirdForum Opus

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Otus lettia

Identification

Both grey and rufous morphs are know; the difference in color is mostly evident in the underside. Adults are similar to but have paler upperside than Sunda Scops-Owl. Juveniles are not safely differentiated from juveniles of Sunda Scops-Owl³.

Distribution

Eastern Himalayas to South-East Asia, eastern China, and Taiwan; ussuriensis is found north to Sakhalin Island. Most if not all of these populations are migrating south of this breeding range in winter, for example down into India and the Malay Peninsula.

Taxonomy

As currently defined, Collared Scops-Owl includes five subspecies¹: lettia, erythrocampe, glabripes, umbratilis, and ussuriensis.

This species (Otus lettia) is sometimes considered a subspecies of Otus bakkamoena; the latter species is currently called Indian Scops Owl, but if considered to include Otus lettia, would be converted back the name Collared Scops Owl. Sunda Scops-Owl (Otus lempiji) is another species currently recognized in this superspecies. The species limits in this complex seems a little uncertain: an analysis² including Indian Scops-Owl, Sunda Scops-Owl and subspecies lettia and ussuriensis of Collared Scops-Owl (and other species) failed to find lettia and ussuriensis as each others closest relatives. The authors speculate that ussuriensis instead might be closely related to Japanese Scops-Owl. Konig³ indeed includes ussuriensis as a subspecies of Japanese Scops-Owl.

References

1. Clements, James F. 2007. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to October 2007. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801445019
2. Fuchs et al. Tracing the colonization history of the Indian Ocean scops-owls (Strigiformes: Otus) with further insight into the spatio-temporal origin of the Malagasy avifauna. BMC Evol Biol. 2008; 8: 197. read in November 2008.
3. König, C., F. Weick, & J.-H. Becking. 1999. Owls - a guide to the owls of the world. Yale University Press. ISBN 0300079206

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