Sokoke scops owl
Otus ireneae Ripley, 1966
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.

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?
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.
- 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 Endangered species. What the categories mean.
How is the sokoke scops owl classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderStrigiformes
- familyStrigidae
- genusOtus
- 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
Relatives of the sokoke 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
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.
- 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). Sokoke scops owl (Otus ireneae). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/sokoke-scops-owl
“Sokoke scops owl (Otus ireneae).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/sokoke-scops-owl.
@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}
}