Species information
Scientific name: Otus elegans elegans
Japanese name: リュウキュウコノハズク
Chinese name: 琉球角鴞、優雅角鴞琉球亞種
English name: Okinawa scops owl
Origin: Ryukyu Islands
Ecology and description
The Elegant scops owl (Otus elegans) consists of 4 subspecies:
- O. e. elegans (Okinawa scops owl) is found in the Ryukyu Islands
- O. e. interpositus is found in the Daito Islands, smaller in size than Okinawa scops owl, and their call slightly differs.
- O. e. botelensis (Lanyu scops owl) is found on Lanyu in Taiwan
- O. e. calayensis is found in the Batanes and Babuyan Islands in the northern Philippines
Okinawa scops owl is the most common owl in Okinawa, with a body length of about 20cm. The main difference from the Ryukyu subspecies of the Japanese scops owl ( Otus semitorques pryeri ) is the iris color; Okinawa scops owl has yellow irises, while the Japanese scops owl’s Ryukyu subspecies has red. This species breeds from April to July.
Field photographs taken during our tours, with observation dates
During our 【Night Birding】 tour, this species’ calls can often be heard. However, spotting them can be challenging when they call from higher branches. The best opportunity to observe this species is from July to September, when the juveniles leave the nest. During our 【Herping】 tour, sightings are also possible near the Yambaru Discovery Forest facilities. In summer 2025, this species bred near the Yambaru Discovery Forest, and the juveniles frequently perched on trees near the facilities.
