The African scops owl is a small nocturnal owl about 17–21 centimeters long. It lives in sub-Saharan Africa and camouflages perfectly as tree bark thanks to its plumage coloration.
The African scops owl differs from larger owls by its small size, short ear tufts and special camouflage. It is important for nature because it regulates the number of insects and small rodents in African forests and savannas.
meadows, prairies, forb glades on land
Worker
birth time
vertebrates
ambush
Hot and almost no precipitation
Picking small food items from foliage, ground, or other surfaces.
Heavy rains in summer
Dogs, dolphins, lynx hang out for 9-25 years and party on their birthday three times a year
m
Map
will celebrate their {n} birthday
g
t
When your next jubilee falls in {name} life years
Human
hot Africa south of the desert, many savannas and forests
days
How old you would be if you lived as {name}
Theoretical maximum lifespan estimated from the Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) mathematical model. This value reflects a biological potential derived from metabolic parameters, not from direct observation — real recorded lifespans are often significantly shorter.
very heavy rains in summer, almost no precipitation in winter
beak
adult
Maturity
invertebrates
insects
About health
When your next birthday would fall if you lived as {name}
Repro interval
results
land coast flooded by tides — salt marshes, littoral zone
aerial
Colors
Sex
Upcoming jubilees
Gremllins
mo
hot, rains in summer, little precipitation in winter
rains are very rare, almost a desert
little precipitation in winter, more in summer
Trophic type
all living animals without backbone
Filters
summer very hot, dry, lots of grass
Upcoming birthdays
Breeding structure built or used for laying eggs and raising offspring.
Truly long lives: 40-100 years. Bowhead whales, albatrosses, giant tortoises recall their birthday at most once a year
Lifespan
Height
Age (juvenile)
Age (from birth to death)
Hot, little precipitation in winter
Age (embryo)
Wanderers
Feeding occurs in open air space above ground or water.
Wings size
Jubilee = every 10th birthday
Earliest developmental stage inside an egg or womb.
animals with backbone
Business sausages
Lifespan average
Egg shell count
young after fast growth
Juvenile stage following larval metamorphosis but not yet adult.
What do they look like?
Maturity
emergence (insects)
end of lifespan
How do they live?
fertilization / egg laying
How do they behave?
birth / hatching
metamorphosis / end of larval stage
end of acceleration
Share
Find a pet...
Mature, fully developed individual capable of reproduction.
hot, uneven rains, lots of grass and trees
gleaning
Actively hunting and capturing live prey.
flight
65 to 130 grams, 25 – 60 centimeters
Pets
Ear tufts color
Hot steppe
Feeding occurs primarily on land or in vegetation.
{name} jubilee
paw
cm
Old-timers
Find an animal or breed...
Wingspan
Captures prey or food items while in active flight.
turns
Rascals
terrestrial forest
terrestrial grassland and steppe
terrestrial herbaceous
terrestrial intertidal
hot Africa south of the desert, many savannas and forests
Forages on tree limbs or woody stems within vegetation.
Litter size
Tropical savanna
Map data sources: Ecosystem classification — IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (Keith et al., 2022), indicative distribution maps Keith et al. (2020), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3546513; Large Marine Ecosystems — NOAA LME Program; Bathymetry — GEBCO Bathymetric Compilation Group (2026), GEBCO_2026 Grid, https://doi.org/10.5285/4f68d5c7-45eb-f999-e063-7086abc036fa; Climate data — Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information; Species occurrence data — GBIF.org, Derived dataset "all animals", https://zveriki.com/dataset/dataset.tsv; Terrestrial ecoregions — RESOLVE Ecoregions 2017 (Dinerstein et al., 2017), CC BY 4.0
How to care for them?
Living from 25 to 40 years. Orangutans, bald eagles, African elephants celebrate their birthday twice a year
°C
Not specified
Actively searching habitats to locate food items.
small birds
Where are they found?
Describes food handling or digging performed with the forelimbs.
Low precipitation in winter
Legendary longevity: over 100 years. Galapagos tortoises, Greenland sharks, ocean quahogs celebrate with family once every 4 years
Offspring
Elders
small birds — sparrows, tits, hummingbirds
Bro
Ear tufts size
Taxons
carnivore
if born as {name}
Foraging takes place among trees and woody vegetation.
age
Predator remains still and concealed before launching a sudden attack.
birth date
small mammals — mice, shrews, bats
Talons size
Close
Egg shell color
was
Career from 7 to 15 months. Dwarf hamsters, voles, field crickets celebrate their birthday twice a month
nocturnal
The basics
climbing
My weight?
Non-stop carnival: they only live a few days. Mayflies, rotifers, midges celebrate their birthday more than twice a day
primary food sources
Beak size
Potential Habitat
lots of grass, few trees, rains are rare
d
In husbandry
On the go from 1.3 to 3.5 years. Forest mice, anoles, rainbow fish party on their birthday once a month
Mass
Mosquitoes, fruit flies, small crustaceans hustle for up to 7 months and throw a birthday party every week
terrestrial
Gestation
small mammals
vision
{name} birthday
Always hot
jumping
No results found
Eyes color
On the map
lunge
all life stages
Female ♀
Down feathers color
world of Afrotropics
Map data sources: Ecosystem classification — IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (Keith et al., 2022), indicative distribution maps Keith et al. (2020), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3546513; Large Marine Ecosystems — NOAA LME Program; Bathymetry — GEBCO Bathymetric Compilation Group (2026), GEBCO_2026 Grid, https://doi.org/10.5285/4f68d5c7-45eb-f999-e063-7086abc036fa; Climate data — Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information; Species occurrence data — GBIF.org, Derived dataset "all animals", https://zveriki.com/dataset/dataset.tsv; Terrestrial ecoregions — RESOLVE Ecoregions 2017 (Dinerstein et al., 2017), CC BY 4.0
Potential habitat modelled from GBIF occurrence data. Map © Zveriki.com, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
birth year
Maturity
hearing
terrestrial habitat, land surface outside water
sq mm
yr
Beak color
How similar?
Male ♂
until the celebration
baby / chick
hawking
age as {name}
How do they breed?
On the go from 3.5 to 6 years. Hedgehogs, crows, lizards treat themselves to birthday snacks 6 times a year
What if eaten?
spiders
Very dry
Neither
Moving up vertical surfaces like trunks or rocks to reach food.
from birth to adulthood
Young offspring still dependent on parental care.
nest
What do they eat?
Where do they live?
Immature individual that has not yet reached reproductive maturity.
from birth to death
Talons color
Plumage color
forests on land — tropical, temperate, boreal
world of Afrotropics
branch
Duration
live insects
This is me
claws
Foraging activity occurs primarily during nighttime hours.
Steppe
Gamers
How are they built?
mm
Theoretical lifespan
ml
Stars
Link copied
My age?
wk
My size?
live spiders — arachnids of all sizes
terrestrial
Asexual
swap
active predation
Rabbits, falcons, red-eared turtles hang out for 6-9 years and party on their birthday four times a year
Where do they take shelter?
Warm summer and lots of rain
celebrated their {n} birthday
open grassy spaces — steppes, savannas, prairies
When you would have been born if you lived as {name}
very hot all year round, frequent rains, but sometimes dry
Daddies
Lifespan maximum
very hot and almost no precipitation
foraging
Capturing or collecting food while airborne.
whole life
Hermaphrodite ⚥
Primarily detects and locates food using eyesight.
embryo
Carrot
Hard, projecting mouthpart used to probe, pluck, or crack food.
Length
kg
lots of rain, warm and pleasant summer
Rapid forward strike to seize prey.
arboreal
Observations
◉{N} more on tap