CreatureData

Mountain scops owl

Otus spilocephalus (Blyth, 1846)

LCLeast Concernowls

The mountain scops owl (Otus spilocephalus) is a species in the family Strigidae, order Strigiformes. Recorded adults weigh 67.5 g to 84 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Mountain scops owl (Otus spilocephalus)
Photo: Ian Dugdale · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the mountain scops owl

Weight
67.5 g – 84 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
2.4 – 3.2src 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

Where does the mountain scops owl live?

Not recorded

What is the mountain scops owl?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The mountain scops owl (Otus spilocephalus), sometimes referred to as the spotted scops owl, is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. Its range extends across much of south and southeast Asia, from Pakistan and the Himalayas in the northwest, through Taiwan, Thailand and Malaysia in the east and south.

The nominate subspecies of the eastern Himalayas has a distinct more russet plumage.

It is an altitudinal migrant.

The owls have a short high-pitched call like a two-note whistle, "plew-plew" or "he-he", although the female's songs are rarely heard. Their calls also differ between geographic population.

From the Wikipedia article “Mountain scops owl” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mountain_scops_owl&oldid=1343753523), 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 mountain scops owl sound like?

Mandar Bhagat · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Is the mountain scops owl endangered?

The mountain 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.

How is the mountain scops owl classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderStrigiformes
  5. familyStrigidae
  6. genusOtus
  7. SpeciesOtus spilocephalus (Blyth, 1846)

Synonyms Ephialtes spilocephalus

Other names and names in other languages (49)
  • Mountain scops-owlEnglish
  • Mountain scops-owlEnglish
  • Mountain scops-owlEnglish
  • মাউন্টেন স্কোপ্স পেঁচাBangla
  • xot de muntanyaCatalan
  • výreček horskýCzech
  • výreček skvrnitýCzech
  • tylluan sgops fannogWelsh
  • Plettet DværghornugleDanish
  • FuchsohreuleGerman
  • Fuchs-ZwergohreuleGerman
  • FuchseuleGerman
  • FuchszwergohreuleGerman
  • Gefleckte ZwergohreuleGerman
  • monta orelstrigetoEsperanto
  • Autillo montanoSpanish
  • nõlvapällEstonian
  • مرغ حق کوهیPersian
  • vuoripöllönenFinnish
  • Petit-duc tachetéFrench
  • gorski ćukCroatian
  • pettyes füleskuvikHungarian
  • Celepuk gunungIndonesian
  • Assiolo montanoItalian
  • Assiolo di montagnaItalian
  • Assiolo macchiatoItalian
  • Assiolo maculatoItalian
  • タイワンコノハズクJapanese
  • Кырык шӱшкӓн тыманаKyrgyz
  • dėmėtasis apuokėlisLithuanian
  • madarainā pūcīteLatvian
  • Burung Hantu GunungMalay
  • HammerugleNorwegian Bokmål
  • लेकाली उल्लूNepali
  • Gevlekte DwergooruilDutch
  • fløyteugleNorwegian
  • syczek górskiPolish
  • mocho-d'orelhas-montêsPortuguese
  • mocho-de-orelhas-montesinoPortuguese
  • Пятнистая совкаRussian
  • Пятнистая сплюшкаRussian
  • výrik horskýSlovak
  • Indonezijski planinski ćukSerbian
  • bergdvärguvSwedish
  • นกเค้าภูเขาThai
  • Dağ İshakkuşuTurkish
  • сплюшка гірськаUkrainian
  • 黃嘴角鴞Chinese
  • 黄嘴角鸮Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the mountain scops owl

Other species in the same genus Otus.

CompareMountain scops owl vs Eurasian scops owlMountain scops owl vs Indian scops owlMountain scops owl vs Oriental scops owlMountain scops owl vs Pallid scops owl

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the mountain scops owl?

An adult mountain scops owl weighs 67.5 g – 84 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the mountain scops owl endangered?

The mountain 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 mountain scops owl?

The mountain scops owl (Otus spilocephalus) 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.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Mountain scops owl (Otus spilocephalus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/mountain-scops-owl

MLA

“Mountain scops owl (Otus spilocephalus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/mountain-scops-owl.

BibTeX
@misc{mountain_scops_owl_2026,
  title = {Mountain scops owl (Otus spilocephalus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/mountain-scops-owl},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}