Moluccan scops owl
Otus magicus (S. Müller, 1841)
The moluccan scops owl (Otus magicus) is a species in the family Strigidae, order Strigiformes. Recorded adults weigh 126.7 g to 165 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Quick facts about the moluccan scops owl
- Weight
- 126.7 g – 165 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Invertivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- forestsrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Lifestyle
- Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Sedentarysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the moluccan scops owl live?
Not recorded
What is the moluccan scops owl?
The Moluccan scops owl (Otus magicus) is an owl found in the Maluku and Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia. It closely resembles the Rinjani scops owl.
The following subspecies are recognised:
O. m. kalidupae (Hartert, EJO, 1903) - Kaledupa
O. m. morotensis (Sharpe, 1875) - Morotai
O. m. leucospilus (Gray, GR, 1861) - Halmahera, Ternate, Kasiruta, and Bacan
O. m. obira Jany, 1955 - Obi
O. m. bouruensis (Sharpe, 1875) - Buru
O. m. magicus (Müller, S, 1841) - Seram and Ambon
O. m. albiventris (Sharpe, 1875) - west-central Lesser Sundas
The Wetar scops owl (O. tempestatis) was previously considered a subspecies, but has since been split.
It has spiritual significance to the Pesaguan Dayak people. It is believed to be a sign of misfortune, as its sound is said to be reminiscent of death. This belief may protect the species from being hunted.
From the Wikipedia article “Moluccan scops owl” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Moluccan_scops_owl&oldid=1380566609), 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.
What does the moluccan scops owl sound like?
Is the moluccan scops owl endangered?
The moluccan scops owl is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- 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 moluccan scops owl classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderStrigiformes
- familyStrigidae
- genusOtus
- SpeciesOtus magicus (S. Müller, 1841)
Synonyms Strix magica
Other names and names in other languages (34)
- Moluccan scops-owlEnglish
- Moluccan scops-owlEnglish
- মালাক্কার স্কোপ্স পেঁচাBangla
- xot de les MoluquesCatalan
- výreček moluckýCzech
- Tylluan Sgops MolwcaiddWelsh
- MolukdværghornugleDanish
- MolukkenzwergohreuleGerman
- Molukken-EuleGerman
- Molukken-ZwergohreuleGerman
- moluka orelstrigetoEsperanto
- Autillo moluqueñoSpanish
- maluku pällEstonian
- مرغ حق ملوکیPersian
- molukkienpöllönenFinnish
- Petit-duc mystérieuxFrench
- malukui füleskuvikHungarian
- Celepuk malukuIndonesian
- Assiolo delle MoluccheItalian
- モルッカコノハズクJapanese
- molukinis apuokėlisLithuanian
- Molukse DwergooruilDutch
- trollugleNorwegian
- syczek moluckiPolish
- mocho-d'orelhas-das-molucasPortuguese
- mocho-de-orelhas-das-molucasPortuguese
- Молуккская совкаRussian
- výrik moluckýSlovak
- Molučki ćukSerbian
- moluckdvärguvSwedish
- Maluku İshakkuşuTurkish
- сплюшка серамськаUkrainian
- 摩鹿加角鴞Chinese
- 摩鹿加角鸮Chinese
Relatives of the moluccan scops owl
Other species in the same genus Otus.

Eurasian scops owl
Otus scops
Indian scops owl
Otus bakkamoena

Oriental scops owl
Otus sunia

Pallid scops owl
Otus brucei

Giant scops owl
Otus gurneyi

White-fronted scops owl
Otus sagittatus
CompareMoluccan scops owl vs Eurasian scops owlMoluccan scops owl vs Indian scops owlMoluccan scops owl vs Oriental scops owlMoluccan scops owl vs Pallid scops owl
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the moluccan scops owl?
An adult moluccan scops owl weighs 126.7 g – 165 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the moluccan scops owl endangered?
The moluccan 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 moluccan scops owl?
The moluccan scops owl (Otus magicus) 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.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
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Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Moluccan scops owl (Otus magicus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/moluccan-scops-owl
“Moluccan scops owl (Otus magicus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/moluccan-scops-owl.
@misc{moluccan_scops_owl_2026,
title = {Moluccan scops owl (Otus magicus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/moluccan-scops-owl},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}