CreatureData

Sokoke scops owl

Otus ireneae Ripley, 1966

ENEndangeredowls

The sokoke scops owl (Otus ireneae) is a species in the family Strigidae, order Strigiformes. Recorded adults weigh 48 g to 50.3 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Endangered.

Sokoke scops owl (Otus ireneae)
Photo: Steve Garvie from Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the sokoke scops owl

Weight
48 g – 50.3 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
Endangered (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the sokoke scops owl live?

Not recorded

What is the sokoke scops owl?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The Sokoke scops owl (Otus ireneae), also Morden's scops owl or Morden's owlet, is a highly localized species of scops owl found in lowland forests of Kenya and Tanzania. The greatest population of this species of owl is in the Cynometra-Manilkara forest, which is less than one-third of the Sokoke Forest. It is also found in the Afzelia-Cynometra forest.

The Sokoke scops owl can grow to 6+1⁄2 in (17 cm), and can weigh up to 2 oz (57 g), and is the smallest of the scops owls. It is insectivorous and coloring ranges from grey to rufous.

From the Wikipedia article “Sokoke scops owl” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sokoke_scops_owl&oldid=1350894034), 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 sokoke scops owl endangered?

The sokoke scops owl is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List: it faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.

  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 Endangered species. What the categories mean.

How is the sokoke scops owl classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderStrigiformes
  5. familyStrigidae
  6. genusOtus
  7. SpeciesOtus ireneae Ripley, 1966

Synonyms Otus irenae

Other names and names in other languages (41)
  • Morden's owletEnglish
  • Morden's scops-owlEnglish
  • Morden's scops-owlEnglish
  • SokokeEnglish
  • Sokoke scops-owlEnglish
  • Sokoke scops-owlEnglish
  • Sokoke scops-owlEnglish
  • xot de SokokeCatalan
  • výreček IreninCzech
  • výreček keňskýCzech
  • tylluan sgops SokokeWelsh
  • Sokoke DværghornugleDanish
  • Sokoke-ZwergohreuleGerman
  • Sokoke-EuleGerman
  • sokokea orelstrigetoEsperanto
  • Autillo de SokokeSpanish
  • sokoke pällEstonian
  • مرغ حق سوکوکهPersian
  • sokokenpöllönenFinnish
  • Petit-duc d'IreneFrench
  • Petit-duc d'IrèneFrench
  • Petit-duc d’IreneFrench
  • kenijski ćukCroatian
  • Sokoke-füleskuvikHungarian
  • Assiolo di SokokeItalian
  • ハイイロコノハズクJapanese
  • keninis apuokėlisLithuanian
  • SokokedwergooruilDutch
  • sokokeugleNorwegian
  • syczek brunatnyPolish
  • mocho-d'orelhas-de-sokokePortuguese
  • mocho-de-orelhas-de-sokokePortuguese
  • Кенийская совкаRussian
  • Сококская сплюшкаRussian
  • výrik prímorskýSlovak
  • Sokoke ćukSerbian
  • sokokedvärguvSwedish
  • Sokoke İshakkuşuTurkish
  • сплюшка кенійськаUkrainian
  • 肯亞角鴞Chinese
  • 肯尼亚角鸮Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the sokoke scops owl

Other species in the same genus Otus.

CompareSokoke scops owl vs Eurasian scops owlSokoke scops owl vs Indian scops owlSokoke scops owl vs Oriental scops owlSokoke scops owl vs Pallid scops owl

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the sokoke scops owl?

An adult sokoke scops owl weighs 48 g – 50.3 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the sokoke scops owl endangered?

The sokoke scops owl is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.

What kind of animal is the sokoke scops owl?

The sokoke scops owl (Otus ireneae) 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). Sokoke scops owl (Otus ireneae). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/sokoke-scops-owl

MLA

“Sokoke scops owl (Otus ireneae).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/sokoke-scops-owl.

BibTeX
@misc{sokoke_scops_owl_2026,
  title = {Sokoke scops owl (Otus ireneae)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/sokoke-scops-owl},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}