Typical Owls (Strigidae)

Indian Scops-owl (Otus bakkamoena) - HBW 5, p. 157

French: Petit-duc à collier German: Indien-Zwergohreule Spanish: Autillo Indio
Other common names: Collared Scops-owl(!), Oriental Screech-owl

Taxonomy: Otus bakkamoena Pennant, 1769, Sri Lanka.
Probably forms superspecies with O. mentawi, O. lettia, O. lempiji, O. semitorques, O. fuliginosus and O. megalotis. Taxonomy complex and controversial, with various treatments by different authors: often considered to include one, or several, or all of above-mentioned species as races; sometimes regarded as conspecific with O. lempiji; or as monotypic, with all other currently recognized races placed with O. lettia; boundaries between all taxa poorly understood. Present treatment based mainly on vocalizations. Five subspecies recognized.. View all taxonomy...

Taxonomy: Otus bakkamoena Pennant, 1769, Sri Lanka.
Probably forms superspecies with O. mentawi, O. lettia, O. lempiji, O. semitorques, O. fuliginosus and O. megalotis. Taxonomy complex and controversial, with various treatments by different authors: often considered to include one, or several, or all of above-mentioned species as races; sometimes regarded as conspecific with O. lempiji; or as monotypic, with all other currently recognized races placed with O. lettia; boundaries between all taxa poorly understood. Present treatment based mainly on vocalizations. Five subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

  • plumipes (Hume, 1870) - W Himalayas, from N Pakistan E to Nepal border.
  • deserticolor Ticehurst, 1922 - S Pakistan; possibly SE Iran; old record from Oman probably erroneous.
  • gangeticus Ticehurst, 1922 - NW India to lowland Nepal.

     See all 5 subspecies
  • plumipes (Hume, 1870) - W Himalayas, from N Pakistan E to Nepal border.
  • deserticolor Ticehurst, 1922 - S Pakistan; possibly SE Iran; old record from Oman probably erroneous.
  • gangeticus Ticehurst, 1922 - NW India to lowland Nepal.
  • marathae Ticehurst, 1922 - C India, E to about S West Bengal.
  • bakkamoena Pennant, 1769 - SW & SE India and Sri Lanka.