Eurasian Scops Owl

• It is one of the few long-distance migratory owls, travelling each year between Europe and sub-Saharan Africa.
• It feeds mainly on large insects such as grasshoppers and beetles.
• It lives in open woodland, parks, gardens and farmland with trees in southern Europe.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - pneumatised bony skeleton (bird)

Habitat and environment

Open woodland, parks, gardens and farmland with trees in southern Europe and western and Central Asia, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa

Birth weight

~13 grams (the reference egg weight)

Size at birth

Blind on hatching, its eyes opening between 6 and 8 days and fully open by 11-13 days

Sexual maturity

~10 months (a year)

Gestation / incubation

24-25 days (some sources give a wider range of 20-31 days depending on the climate)

Litter / clutch size

3 to 5 eggs per clutch (most commonly 4)

Life expectancy in captivity

Documented record of up to 12.5 years in captivity

Sources consulted: Birda · AnAge (genomics.senescence.info) · Birdfact · Animal Diversity Web · The Owl Pages · Animalia.bio · KyivZoo

Best time: From April to September in the Iberian Peninsula, at dusk; it is detected above all by its monotonous whistle, repeated every few seconds.