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PLATE 66: BARN OWL AND SCOPS OWLS
Western Barn Owl Tyto alba rb
L: 35. W: 89. Strikingly pale, with creamy-buff upperparts, white underparts and heart-shaped
face with black eyes. Mainly crepuscular or nocturnal in region. Voice Territorial call of male is
a clear, vibrant, chilling shriek of about two seconds; alarm call in flight is a shrill shriek; when
disturbed will hiss; young beg with a drawn-out hissing. Habitat Open country with trees, semi-
deserts, edges of woods, often near human habitation. Nests in hole in tree, building, ruins, crag,
cave or nestbox. Note Much winter dispersal.Pallid Scops Owl Otus brucei RB
L: 20–21. Typical scops owl, sandy-grey or grey above without white spots on crown or hindneck,
usually with clear-cut pencil-fine black streaks below (grey morph of Eurasian Scops Owl has
black streaks crossed by vermiculations and paler blotches below, submerged by darker ground-
colour). Braces creamy to cinnamon-ginger. Tail extends marginally beyond wing-tips; tail-
bands usually diffuse, especially towards tip of tail. Feathering on legs extends to base of
toes, middle toe especially. Juvenile completely barred below (unlike juvenile Eurasian Scops).
Voice Diagnostic, soft and dove-like, carrying only a short distance (unlike Eurasian Scops): hollow,
resonant, low-pitched whoop or whoo repeated regularly about eight times in five seconds (like
distant water-pump); also longer whooo repeated irregularly at 3–5-second intervals or ooo-ooo...
ooo-ooo. Habitat Arid hills, semi-desert, wadis with trees, parks, palm groves. Nests in hole.
Note Passage and winter hatched; vagrant Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Yemen. [Alt: Striated Scops Owl,
Bruce’s Scops Owl]Arabian Scops Owl Otus pamelae RB
L: 19. Similar to Eurasian Scops Owl and best told by voice. Shows the most prominent pale
eyebrows of the scops owls in the region; facial disc pale with dark rim; upperwing-coverts have
rufous tinge and finely barred greyish underparts have darker streaks. Leg feathering does
not reach base of toes. In the hand, the outermost primary, P10, shorter than fifth or fourth (less
than fifth in Eurasian Scops). Voice Single da-pwoorp repeated at 6–10-second intervals or more.
Habitat Wooded hills to higher elevations. Nests in hole in tree. Note Resident in S Oman. Formerly
considered a subspecies of African Scops Owl Otus senegalensis.Eurasian Scops Owl Otus scops PM
L: 18–20. Typical scops owl with small ear-tufts; best distinguished by voice though migrant birds
are usually silent. Mothy grey-brown, or rufous-brown (rarer morph), with paler face and dark
surround to yellow eyes. Wing-tips reach tail-tip; whitish tail-bands bordered narrowly with black
and usually clear-cut (but often cloaked by closed wings). Upperparts streaked and vermiculated;
braces off-white, buff or creamy, sometimes rusty on outer webs, with parallel deep rust or rufous
line outside braces (if not hidden); underparts streaked, barred and vermiculated, interspersed
with white blotches (lacking in Pallid Scops). Feathering on legs stops square-cut, short of toe
bases. Nocturnal Voice Clear, soft whistle repeated rhythmically and monotonously, pwoo, pwoo
at 2–3-second intervals. Habitat Trees, groves. Note Passage hatched; occasional in winter.