Moluccan Scops Owl (Otus magicus) [XC31407]
by Allen T. Chartier from Kisol, Flores, Indonesia (call)
Moluccan Scops Owl (Otus magicus) [XC89476]
by Frank Lambert from Foli, Halmahera, Indonesia (call, song)
Subspecies
Otus magicus (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) has been split into Flores Scops-Owl (Otus alfredi) following Widodo et al. (1999), Siau Scops-Owl (Otus siaoensis) following Lambert and Rasmussen (1998), Enggano Scops-Owl (Otus enganensis) following Andrew (1992), Seychelles Scops-Owl (Otus insularis) and Biak Scops-Owl (Otus beccarii) following Holt et al. (1999) and Moluccan Scops-Owl (Otus magicus).
Probably forms superspecies with Mantanani Scops-Owl (Otus mantananensis), the two being closely allied to the Sulawesi Scops-Owl (Otus manadensis) superspecies. Sometimes considered conspecific with Sulawesi Scops-Owl (Otus manadensis), or variously to include Biak Scops-Owl (Otus beccarii), Enggano Scops-Owl (Otus enganensis) and Seychelles Scops-Owl (Otus insularis) as subspecies, but all shown to be morphologically and/or vocally distinct. Moreover, Flores Scops-Owl (Otus alfredi) recently treated as a rufous morph of subspecies albiventris of present species, but shown by morphological study to be distinct and separate species. Classification and true affinities of Otus taxa in south-eastern Asia, particularly island forms, highly complex and still debatable, and relationship between present species and Sulawesi Scops-Owl (Otus manadensis) confused: forms siaoensis, mendeni, kalidupae and sulaensis currently included in Sulawesi Scops-Owl (Otus manadensis), but some or all sometimes placed with present species. Current arrangement highly tentative, and further research is required. Also, described subspecies leucospilus and obira have been thought possibly synonyms of nominate subspecies of present species, though at least the former distinct enough.
BirdLife International Species Factsheet