Indian Scops Owl

Indian Scops Owl (Otus bakkamoena) is a small South Asian owl with cryptic grey-brown or rufous plumage, prominent ear tufts and a dark-edged facial disc. Body shape, bill structure, plumage pattern and voice provide the strongest field characters. Age, sex and season may alter its appearance, so identification should combine several features and careful direct field comparisons with similar species in the same habitat (Wikipedia, general species account).

It inhabits woods, groves, farmland and gardens, emerging at night to hunt large insects and small vertebrates and nesting in tree holes rather than constructing an exposed nest. Its movements and social behaviour vary through the year, with breeding birds generally more dispersed and non-breeding birds gathering where food is concentrated. Japanese records place it within the country's documented avifauna as a resident, migrant or visitor (Wikipedia, general species account; Wildlife of Japan occurrence records).