Voice
Highly vocal. Male utters a very repetitive and rather resonent coughing whistle 'ko-ho ko-ho' or 'u-hu' or 'pu-wu' call. Female sometimes resonds with a nasal 'nnyu' or 'niea'. Also high-pitched chittering, somewhat like that of fledgling kestrels.
Ryukyu Scops Owl (Otus elegans) [XC156350]
by Ross Gallardy from Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan (song)
Ryukyu Scops Owl (Otus elegans) [XC156347]
by Frank Lambert from Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan (song)
Subspecies
Probably forms superspecies with Sulawesi Scops-Owl (Otus manadensis) and Sangihe Scops-Owl (Otus collari). Formerly treated as conspecific with Oriental Scops-Owl (Otus sunia), and until recently considered subspecies of European Scops-Owl (Otus scops), but separated specifically on basis of vocal characteristics and morphology (comparatively larger feet). Has recently been listed it as a subspecies of Sulawesi Scops-Owl (Otus manadensis), perhaps erroneously. Batan population sometimes separated as subspecies batanensis; interpositus merged with nominate by some authors. Southern subspecies calayensis placed with Mantanani Scops-Owl (Otus mantananensis) by some, but seems closer to present species, at least on vocal and geographical grounds.
The following 4 subspecies are recognised:
elegans (Cassin, 1852) - Throughout Ryukyu Is (Nansei Shoto), southern Japan.
interpositus Kuroda, Nagamichi, 1923 - Daito Is (Minami-daito-jima).
botelensis Kuroda, Nagamichi, 1928 - Lanyu I, off south-eastern Taiwan.
calayensis McGregor, 1904 - Batan Is, Sabtang and Calayan, off northern Philippines.
BirdLife International Species Factsheet