Serendib Scops Owl
Otus thilohoffmanni
- Family
- Owls (Strigidae)
- Order
- Strigiformes
Overview
The Serendib scops owl (Otus thilohoffmanni) is the most recently discovered bird of Sri Lanka. It was originally located by its unfamiliar poo-ooo call in the Kitulgala rainforest by prominent Sri Lankan ornithologist Deepal Warakagoda. Six years later, it was finally seen by him on 23 January 2001 in Sinharaja, and formally described as a species new to science in 2004. Apart from Sinharaja and Kitulgala, it has also been found at Runakanda Reserve in Morapitiya and Eratna Gilimale.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Range and habitat
Lowland rainforest of southwest Sri Lanka.
Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Serendib scops owl
- eBird: sightings, maps and photos
- xeno-canto: sound recordings
- Birds of the World: full species account (subscription)
- BirdLife DataZone: status and threats
- IUCN Red List (threat status)
- AviList global checklist (taxonomy)
Last updated September 29, 2026.