- Otus ireneae
Identification
16-18cm (6¼-7¾ in) - the smallest African owl
Three colour morphs: dark brown, greyish brown and reddish-orange
They have small ear tufts
Distribution
East Africa: found in eastern Kenya (Sokoke Forest) and north-eastern Tanzania (Usambara Mountains).
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
Dense forest scrub.
Behaviour
Roosting birds are often found cuddled up in pairs.
Diet
Their diet consists mostly of insects such as crickets and katydids.
Breeding
There is no information available. It is thought they use tree cavities for nesting, in line with the behaviour of other scops owls.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- BF Member observations
- Holt, D.W., Berkley, R., Deppe, C., Enríquez Rocha, P., Petersen, J.L., Rangel Salazar, J.L., Segars, K.P., Wood, K.L. & Marks, J.S. (2020). Sokoke Scops-owl (Otus ireneae). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/54940 on 30 January 2020).
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Sokoke Scops Owl. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 5 February 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Sokoke_Scops_Owl
