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Endemic Species White-whiskered Laughingthrush
Yellow Tit
Endemic Sub-Species
White-browed Shortwing
More Birds in Taiwan
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Collared Scops-Owl Otus lettia glabripes Endemic subspecies
This is a small owl (24 cm.) with prominent ear tufts. The facial disc is gray, edged with blackish brown. Upperparts are brownish or grayish, mottled and spotted with buff and black. There is a pale, sandy collar on the hindneck and the eyebrows are grayish brown, this colour extending to include the ear tufts. Underparts are buff, finely streaked with black. The iris is dark brown, the bill is greenish gray and the feet are yellowish. The glabripes subspecies of Taiwan is whiter on the lower facial disc and has less buff on the upperparts than the mainland subspecies.
The Collared Scops-Owl hunts at night, waiting from a low perch for small vertebrates or large insects, which it then pounces upon. During the breeding season the male calls persistently a rising “woop”, while females give a descending “wheoo” or “pwok”. These small owls usually nest in a natural tree hollow or woodpecker hole, and will also use nesting boxes. In Taiwan the Collared Scops-Owl is fairly common in forested areas, including treed areas near towns.
References: A Field Guide to the Birds of China (Mackinnon and Phillipps); N. J. Collar, “Endemic subspecies of Taiwan birds—first impressions”, in Birding ASIA, Number 2, December 2004; 100 Common Birds of Taiwan (Wild Bird Society of Taipei)
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