CreatureData

African scops owl

Otus senegalensis (Swainson, 1837)

LCLeast Concernowls

The African scops owl (Otus senegalensis) is a species in the family Strigidae, order Strigiformes. Recorded adults weigh 67 g to 68.5 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

African scops owl (Otus senegalensis)
Photo: Vernon Swanepoel · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the African scops owl

Weight
67 g – 68.5 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Wingspan
40 cm – 45 cmsrc for Wingspan
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Invertivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
woodlandsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
2.8 – 3.4src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

How big is the African scops owl?

AFRICAN SCOPS OWL · WINGSPAN 45 CMADULT HUMAN · HEIGHT 1.7 M
At 45 cm, the recorded maximum wingspan of the African scops owl is about 26% of the height of an adult human (1.7 m, a fixed reference used for scale).

Where does the African scops owl live?

Not recorded

What is the African scops owl?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The African scops owl (Otus senegalensis) is a small owl which is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa.

From the Wikipedia article “African scops owl” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=African_scops_owl&oldid=1374497281), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the African scops owl endangered?

The African scops owl is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.

How is the African scops owl classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderStrigiformes
  5. familyStrigidae
  6. genusOtus
  7. SpeciesOtus senegalensis (Swainson, 1837)

Synonyms Ephialtes latipennis, Scops capensis, Scops senegalensis, Scops zorca africanus, Strix scops africanus

Other names and names in other languages (41)
  • African scops-owlEnglish
  • African scops-owlEnglish
  • SkopsuilAfrikaans
  • KleinooruilAfrikaans
  • Skopsuil (Afrikaanse Skopsuil)Afrikaans
  • xot africàCatalan
  • výreček africkýCzech
  • tylluan sgops AffricaWelsh
  • Savanne DværghornugleDanish
  • AfrikazwergohreuleGerman
  • Afrika-ZwergohreuleGerman
  • Afrikanische ZwergohreuleGerman
  • Senegal-EuleGerman
  • afrika orelstrigetoEsperanto
  • Autillo africanoSpanish
  • aafrika salupällEstonian
  • afrikanpöllönenFinnish
  • Petit-duc africainFrench
  • Mionulchabhán AfracachIrish
  • afrikai füleskuvikHungarian
  • Assiolo africanoItalian
  • アフリカコノハズクJapanese
  • afrikinis apuokėlisLithuanian
  • Āfrikas pūcīteLatvian
  • Afrikaanse DwergooruilDutch
  • akasieugleNorwegian
  • syczek afrykańskiPolish
  • mocho-d'orelhas-africanoPortuguese
  • mocho-d'orelhas-de-socotraPortuguese
  • mocho-de-orelhas-africanoPortuguese
  • mocho-de-orelhas-de-socotoráPortuguese
  • Африканская совкаRussian
  • Африканская сплюшкаRussian
  • výrik africkýSlovak
  • Afrički ćukSerbian
  • afrikansk dvärguvSwedish
  • Afrika İshakkuşuTurkish
  • seKopamarumoTswana
  • сплюшка африканськаUkrainian
  • 非洲角鴞Chinese
  • 非洲角鸮Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the African scops owl

Other species in the same genus Otus.

CompareAfrican scops owl vs Eurasian scops owlAfrican scops owl vs Indian scops owlAfrican scops owl vs Oriental scops owlAfrican scops owl vs Pallid scops owl

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the African scops owl?

An adult African scops owl weighs 67 g – 68.5 g and has a wingspan of 40 cm – 45 cm, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the African scops owl endangered?

The African scops owl is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the African scops owl?

The African scops owl (Otus senegalensis) belongs to the family Strigidae in the order Strigiformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

Embed a card for this animal on your own site

Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.

Preview the card

APA

CreatureData. (2026). African scops owl (Otus senegalensis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/african-scops-owl

MLA

“African scops owl (Otus senegalensis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/african-scops-owl.

BibTeX
@misc{african_scops_owl_2026,
  title = {African scops owl (Otus senegalensis)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/african-scops-owl},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}