Nicobar scops owl
Nicobar scops owl | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() Nicobar scops owl ( Otus alius ), top left |
||||||||||
Systematics | ||||||||||
|
||||||||||
Scientific name | ||||||||||
Otus alius | ||||||||||
Rasmussen , 1998 |
The Nikobaren-Zwergohreule ( Otus alius ) is an owl from the genus of scops owl . It only occurs on the Nicobar Islands .
description
The length of the Nicobar Scops Owl is 19 to 20 centimeters. It is warm brown on top, rather thick and darkly striped, with broader dark and light bands and a distinct shoulder band. The underside is yellow-brown with whitish, yellow-brown and dark brown bands and indistinct shaft lines. The eyes are pale yellow, the rounded feather ears of medium size. The beak is yellowish brown with a darker cutting edge and tip. The sparsely feathered legs have dark yellow-brown toes with dark horn-colored claws.
Way of life
It lives in forested areas where it hunts insects, spiders and small vertebrates. Her calls are long series of whistling tones, each lasting less than half a second and repeated every four seconds.
distribution
The owl is endemic to Great Nicobar , and may also be found on Klein Nikobar . It was only described in 1998 after two bird hides , after which several birds were observed.
literature
- Heimo Mikkola: Handbook owls of the world. All 249 species in 750 color photos. Original title: Owls of the World. A photographic guide. 2012, German-language edition, Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co.KG, Stuttgart 2013, ISBN 978-3-440-13275-3 , p. 163.