CreatureData

White-fronted scops owl

Otus sagittatus (Cassin, 1849)

VUVulnerableowls

The white-fronted scops owl (Otus sagittatus) is a species in the family Strigidae, order Strigiformes. Recorded adults weigh 122.6 g to 123.5 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Vulnerable.

White-fronted scops owl (Otus sagittatus)
Photo: JJ Harrison ( https://www.jjharrison.com.au/ ) · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the white-fronted scops owl

Weight
122.6 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
3.5src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the white-fronted scops owl live?

Not recorded

What is the white-fronted scops owl?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The white-fronted scops owl (Otus sagittatus) is a small Asian owl in the family Strigidae. It has a declining population about which little is known, and is dependent on lowland and foothill forests which are rapidly being destroyed. This species of owl is considered vulnerable and has a population of about 2,500–10,000. It is found in the west of Thailand and also in peninsular Malaysia. Its range covers 149,000 km2 (58,000 sq mi) of forest at altitudes of 0–700 m (0–2,300 ft) above sea-level.

The white-fronted scops owl was described by the American ornithologist John Cassin in 1849 and given the binomial name Ephialtes sagittatus. The species is monotypic.

This kind of owl has two modes of defense. The first is that it can puff up its feathers to triple its body size. The second is that it can stretch its body upwards and turn its head at an angle in the direction of the predator that it is hiding from, reducing visibility.

From the Wikipedia article “White-fronted scops owl” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=White-fronted_scops_owl&oldid=1377509644), 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 white-fronted scops owl endangered?

The white-fronted scops owl is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List: it faces a 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 Vulnerable species. What the categories mean.

How is the white-fronted scops owl classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderStrigiformes
  5. familyStrigidae
  6. genusOtus
  7. SpeciesOtus sagittatus (Cassin, 1849)

Synonyms Ephialtes sagittatus

Other names and names in other languages (36)
  • White-fronted scops-owlEnglish
  • White-fronted scops-owlEnglish
  • White-fronted scops-owlEnglish
  • xot de front blancCatalan
  • výreček běločelýCzech
  • tylluan sgops gynffonhirWelsh
  • Hvidpandet DværghornugleDanish
  • Weißstirn-ZwergohreuleGerman
  • WeißstirneuleGerman
  • blankfrunta orelstrigetoEsperanto
  • Autillo frentiblancoSpanish
  • laukpällEstonian
  • مرغ حق سینهسفیدPersian
  • valko-otsapöllönenFinnish
  • Petit-duc à front blancFrench
  • bjeločeli ćukCroatian
  • fehérképű füleskuvikHungarian
  • Celepuk besarIndonesian
  • Assiolo frontebiancaItalian
  • ハナジロコノハズクJapanese
  • baltakaktis apuokėlisLithuanian
  • Burung Hantu Kening PutihMalay
  • Maleise DwergooruilDutch
  • hvitpanneugleNorwegian
  • syczek białoczelnyPolish
  • mocho-d'orelhas-de-testa-brancaPortuguese
  • mocho-de-orelhas-de-fronte-brancaPortuguese
  • Белолобая совкаRussian
  • výrik bieločelýSlovak
  • Beločeli ćukSerbian
  • vitpannad dvärguvSwedish
  • นกเค้าหน้าผากขาวThai
  • Malay İshakkuşuTurkish
  • сплюшка білолобаUkrainian
  • 白額角鴞Chinese
  • 白额角鸮Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the white-fronted scops owl

Other species in the same genus Otus.

CompareWhite-fronted scops owl vs Eurasian scops owlWhite-fronted scops owl vs Indian scops owlWhite-fronted scops owl vs Oriental scops owlWhite-fronted scops owl vs Pallid scops owl

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the white-fronted scops owl?

An adult white-fronted scops owl weighs 122.6 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the white-fronted scops owl endangered?

The white-fronted scops owl is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.

What kind of animal is the white-fronted scops owl?

The white-fronted scops owl (Otus sagittatus) 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). White-fronted scops owl (Otus sagittatus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/white-fronted-scops-owl

MLA

“White-fronted scops owl (Otus sagittatus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/white-fronted-scops-owl.

BibTeX
@misc{white_fronted_scops_owl_2026,
  title = {White-fronted scops owl (Otus sagittatus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/white-fronted-scops-owl},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}