Otus lettia
Silhouette: Armelle Ansart (photograph), Maxime Dahirel (digitisation) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
The collared scops owl (Otus lettia) is an owl which is a resident breeder in south Asia from northern Pakistan, northern India, Nepal, Bangladesh, the Himalayas east to southern China, and Taiwan. It is partially migratory, with some birds wintering in India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia. This species was formerly considered to be included within what is now separated as the Indian scops owl (O. bakkamoena).
This species is a part of the larger grouping of owls known as typical owls, Strigidae, which contains most species of owl. The other grouping is the barn owls, Tytonidae. The collared scops owl is a common breeding bird in forests and other well-wooded areas. It nests in tree hollows, laying 3-5 eggs.
The collared scops owl is a small (23–25 cm) owl, although it is the largest of the scops owls. Like other scops owls, it has small head tufts, or ears. The upperparts are grey or brown, depending on the subspecies, with faint buff spotting. The underparts are buff with fine darker streaking.
The facial disc is whitish or buff, and the eyes are orange or brown. There is a buff neckband. Sexes are similar. The flight is deeply undulating. This species is nocturnal but it can often be located by the small birds that mob it while it is roosting in a tree. It feeds mainly on insects. The call is a quiet goog gook.
This species is chiefly found in northern India and is replaced by the very similar looking oriental scops owl (Otus sunia, recently split) towards the south of its range. It is also very similar to the slightly smaller Indian scops owl. They are most easily separated in the field by their calls. It is sometimes considered as a sub-species of the Indian scops owl. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 2 | Cuc Phuong National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 3 | Cat Tien National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 4 | Taman Negara National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 5 | Khao Luang National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 6 | Namdapha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Doi Inthanon National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 8 | Royal Manas National Park | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | |
| 9 | Khao Sok National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 10 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 11 | Sundarbans National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 12 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 13 | Taroko National Park | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 14 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 15 | Jim Corbett National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taipei | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 2 | Dhaka | 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | |
| 3 | Tamluk | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Bangkok | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 5 | Xiamen City | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 6 | Singapore | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 7 | Guwahati | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | Taichung | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 9 | Kuala Lumpur | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 10 | Tainan | 🇹🇼 Taiwan |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taipei Zoo | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 2 | Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Collared Scops Owl sighting in Cuc Phuong National Park on a given day, based on 37 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 71st most-seen of the 159 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and September–April
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Collared Scops Owl in Cuc Phuong National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May and August, the lowest months. July has too few records to rate.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Collared Scops Owl sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
Among the best
Of the 15 parks where we can rate Collared Scops Owl sightings, Cuc Phuong National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Kaeng Krachan National Park (Thailand, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Collared Scops Owl is recorded against all the birds logged in Cuc Phuong National Park (37 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
