Philippine scops owl
Otus megalotis (Walden, 1875)
The philippine scops owl (Otus megalotis) is a species in the family Strigidae, order Strigiformes. Recorded adults weigh 159.5 g to 231 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Quick facts about the philippine scops owl
- Weight
- 159.5 g – 231 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 – 3src 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 philippine scops owl live?
Not recorded
What is the philippine scops owl?
The Philippine scops owl (Otus megalotis), also Luzon lowland scops owl is a common owl, endemic to the Philippines, belonging to the family of the typical owls Strigidae. Other common names include "Otus Whitehead", "Whitehead scops owl" and "Luzon lowland scops owl". Everett's scops owl (O. everetti) and Negros scops owls (O. nigrorum) were formerly considered conspecific but are now classified as separate species.
Distinguishing features of these birds include their large upright ears from which they get their specific name megalotis, Ancient Greek for "large ears". Philippine scops owls are relatively small, sedentary birds that are naturally found in the forest understory. There are three subspecies which show variations in morphology and are distributed among different islands of the Philippine Archipelago. They are a monogamous species that offer parental care and construct their nest in tree cavities. These owls are ferocious nocturnal carnivores that feed on insects and small mammals. The IUCN Red List considers this species as Least Concern but they may be vulnerable to deforestation and fragmentation.
From the Wikipedia article “Philippine scops owl” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Philippine_scops_owl&oldid=1332676876), 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 philippine scops owl endangered?
The philippine 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 philippine scops owl classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderStrigiformes
- familyStrigidae
- genusOtus
- SpeciesOtus megalotis (Walden, 1875)
Synonyms Lempijius megalotis, Otus megalotis megalotis, Scops megalotis
Other names and names in other languages (38)
- Luzon Lowand scops owlEnglish
- Luzon lowland scops-owlEnglish
- Luzon lowland scops-owlEnglish
- Philippine scops-owlEnglish
- xot de LuzónCatalan
- Xot de les FilipinesCatalan
- výreček filipínskýCzech
- Filippinsk DværghornugleDanish
- PhilippinenhalsbandeuleGerman
- Philippinen-EuleGerman
- Philippinen-HalsbandeuleGerman
- Philippinen-ZwergohreuleGerman
- filipina orelstrigetoEsperanto
- Autillo filipinoSpanish
- Autillo orejudo de LuzónSpanish
- suur-kaeluspällEstonian
- مرغ حق فیلیپینیPersian
- filippiinienpöllönenFinnish
- Petit-duc de LuçonFrench
- fülöp-szigeteki füleskuvikHungarian
- Assiolo delle FilippineItalian
- ルソンオオコノハズクJapanese
- filipininis apuokėlisLithuanian
- Filipijnse DwergooruilDutch
- storfilippinerugleNorwegian
- syczek dużyPolish
- coruja-das-filipinasPortuguese
- mocho-d'orelhas-filipinoPortuguese
- mocho-de-orelhas-grande-de-luçãoPortuguese
- Филиппинская совкаRussian
- výrik červenookýSlovak
- Filipinski ćukSerbian
- LuzonkragdvärguvSwedish
- nordlig filippindvärguvSwedish
- Filipin İshakkuşuTurkish
- сплюшка філіпінськаUkrainian
- 菲律宾角鸮Chinese
- 菲律賓角鴞Chinese
Relatives of the philippine 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
ComparePhilippine scops owl vs Eurasian scops owlPhilippine scops owl vs Indian scops owlPhilippine scops owl vs Oriental scops owlPhilippine scops owl vs Pallid scops owl
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the philippine scops owl?
An adult philippine scops owl weighs 159.5 g – 231 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the philippine scops owl endangered?
The philippine 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 philippine scops owl?
The philippine scops owl (Otus megalotis) 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).
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.
CreatureData. (2026). Philippine scops owl (Otus megalotis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/philippine-scops-owl
“Philippine scops owl (Otus megalotis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/philippine-scops-owl.
@misc{philippine_scops_owl_2026,
title = {Philippine scops owl (Otus megalotis)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/philippine-scops-owl},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}