Principe Scops Owl

Otus bikegila

Critically Endangered · IUCN Red List

CRCritically EndangeredEndemicInvertebratesUrban

ID tip

Voice: The bird's call has been described as "tuu," repeated quickly, sometimes in duets. The birds begin to call almost as soon as it gets dark. Another of its calls is "cat-like" and can exist either in isolation or repetition. Duets are common; females call at a higher pitch.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Principe Scops Owl

One bar for each month. Filled bars are the 8 months with records; pale bars are months with none. The wide bar is January, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Principe Scops Owl

Regular range

The map shades 1 country with regular records. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

About the Principe Scops Owl

The Principe scops owl is a species of scops owl found only on Príncipe Island of São Tomé and Príncipe, an island country in the Gulf of Guinea off the coast of Africa. First noticed by its distinctive nighttime call, it was formally described in 2022. The first records of suspicions of its existence are from 1928. Given its low population numbers and tiny range, researchers have asked the IUCN to declare it Critically Endangered, and this status was granted in 2023. Its distribution is limited to native forests where human activity is low—in fact, its range is entirely within a protected area, the Príncipe Obô Natural Park—and it seems to prefer larger trees. It feeds on insects.

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

Easily confused with

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