Serendib scops-owl

Description

The Thilo Hoffmann Scops Owl ( Otus thilohoffmanni ) is a species of strigiform bird of the family Strigidae recently discovered in Sri Lanka.It was originally located by its unfamiliar call poo-ooo in the Kitulgala jungle by the Sri Lankan ornithologist Deepal Warakagoda.Six years later,it was finally observed by Warakagoda in Sinharaja,and formally described as a new species for science in 2004.Apart from Sinharaja and Kitulgala,it has also been found in the Runakanda reserve in Morapitiya and Eratna Gilimale.It is known as in Sinhalese.Unlike the other two species of Stalin in Sri Lanka,the Indian Scallop ( Otus bakkamoena ) and the Eastern Scallop ( Otus sunia ) have no tufts in their ears and their facial disc is only weakly defined.In general,it is reddish brown,with paler lower parts,and stained with fine black marks.The irises are reddish yellow (more orange in the males) and the legs are of a pale fleshy color.The tarsi are feathered for less than half their length.The claws and beak are pale ivory.