Eurasian Scops Owl

The Eurasian scops owl is a small owl 19–21 cm long with a wingspan of 47–54 cm. It perches upright and shows small ear tufts. The plumage is predominantly grey-brown with a paler face, underparts and shoulder line. It has a strong, direct flight on long narrow wings, reflecting its migratory habits, and the call is a deep whistle given by both sexes (Wikipedia, general species account).

Its breeding range extends from southern Europe east to southern Siberia and the western Himalaya. It is migratory, wintering in Africa south of the Sahara, though resident all year in parts of Mediterranean Europe. The clutch is usually four or five white eggs, incubated only by the female and hatching after 24–25 days. One was spotted near Kolkata for a brief period in October 2021, the first sighting in eastern India. SoIB 2023 lists it as a winter migrant of forest and plantation that eats invertebrates, without a priority category (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).