How big is a Mayotte Scops Owl?

The Mayotte Scops Owl is a medium sized bird weighing about 101 g.

Where can you see a Mayotte Scops Owl?

The Mayotte Scops Owl is endemic to Mayotte, which is the only country where it occurs.

What birds look similar to a Mayotte Scops Owl?

The Mayotte Scops Owl is most easily confused with the Mentawai Scops Owl, the Simeulue Scops Owl and the Sangihe Scops Owl.

Is the Mayotte Scops Owl endangered?

The Mayotte Scops Owl is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Mayotte Scops Owl

Otus mayottensis

Owls · Strigiformes · Legendary

The Mayotte Scops Owl (Otus mayottensis) is a legendary owl found only in Mayotte, weighing about 101 g. The Mayotte scops owl is a species of owl in the family Strigidae.

Least ConcernLegendaryEndemicEats invertebratesforestcavity nest101 g

About the Mayotte Scops Owl

The Mayotte scops owl is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is endemic to the island of Mayotte in the Comoros.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

How to identify it

The Mayotte scops owl is very similar to the rainforest scops owl (O. rutilus) with which it was once considered conspecific. The upperparts are plain brown marked with faint light spots while the underparts are paler brown than the upperparts. The facial disk is also brownish with a contrasting darker rim restricted to just the sides and not seen above the eyes. The crown is brown with darker streaks and the flanks are more reddish-brown with short dark streaks. The eyes are yellow. The body length is 20–22 cm (7.9–8.7 in). Voice: The call of the Mayotte scops owl is a series of 3–11 deep, single hoots.

Where it lives

Mayotte

When to see it

Best months: January, February, October, November, December, with peak activity in February. It is a summer visitor species across most of its range.

Easily confused with

Quick questions

How do you identify a Mayotte Scops Owl?: The Mayotte scops owl is very similar to the rainforest scops owl (O. rutilus) with which it was once considered conspecific. Full identification notes are on this page.
How big is a Mayotte Scops Owl?: The Mayotte Scops Owl is a medium sized bird weighing about 101 g.
Where can you see a Mayotte Scops Owl?: The Mayotte Scops Owl is endemic to Mayotte, which is the only country where it occurs.
What birds look similar to a Mayotte Scops Owl?: The Mayotte Scops Owl is most easily confused with the Mentawai Scops Owl, the Simeulue Scops Owl and the Sangihe Scops Owl.
Is the Mayotte Scops Owl endangered?: The Mayotte Scops Owl is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Learn the Mayotte Scops Owl for real

BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.

Play BeakBrain

Every photo and recording on this page is credited to its author under the licence shown. Spotted a problem with this page, or have a better photo? Contribute.