Inaki Relanzon / Madagascar scops owl (Otus rutilus) perched, looking backwards, Berenty Private Reserve, South Madagascar.

Yashpal Rathore / Collared Scoops owl (Otus lettia) perched well camouflaged, Ranthambore National Park, India

Robin Chittenden / Cyprus scops owl (Otus cyprius) perched on branch at night. Cyprus. April.

David Allemand / Eurasian scops owls (Otus scops) migrant owl, Alps, South of France, May.

David Allemand / Eurasian scops owls (Otus scops) migrant owl, Alps, South of France, May.

David Allemand / Eurasian scops owl (Otus scops) migrant owl, Alps, South of France, May.

David Allemand / Eurasian scops owls (Otus scops) migrant owl, alps, South of France, May.

Alain Ghignone/ BIA / Common Scops-Owl (Otus scops), Aosta Valley, Italy

Daniel Heuclin / Northern white-faced owl (Ptilopsis leucotis) juveniles, Togo.

Daniel Heuclin / Northern white-faced owl (Ptilopsis leucotis) juvenile, Togo.

Andy Rouse / Collared scops owl (Otus lettia) in nest hole, Ranthambhore, India.

Andy Rouse / Collared scops owl (Otus lettia) in nest tree, Ranthambhore, India.

David Pattyn / Madagascar scops owl (Otus rutilus) perching at night, Anjajavy Private Reserve, north west Madagascar.

Jen Guyton / African scops owl (Otus senegalensis) perched on tree in the morning light in the Kalahari Desert, South Africa. Crop.

Luke Massey / Scops owl (Otus sp.) for sale in an animal market, Denpasar, Bali.

Luke Massey / Scops owls (Otus sp.) bleached to look albino for sale, Jakarta, Indonesia

Hanne & Jens Eriksen / Arabian scops owl (Otus pamelae) on log, Oman, November

Avijan Saha/ BIA / Collared Scops Owl (Otus lettia), Darjeeling, India

Andres M. Dominguez / Scops owl (Otus scops) roosting in the day, Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park, Southern Spain, June.

Andres M. Dominguez / Scops owl (Otus scops) in tree stump, Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park, southern Spain, June.

Andres M. Dominguez / Scops owl (Otus scops) roosting in the day, Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park, southern Spain, May.

Neil Aldridge / African scops owl (Otus senegalensis) roosting in shady tree, Kruger National Park, South Africa.

Neil Aldridge / White-faced scops owl (Ptilopsis granti) perched in mopane woodland at night, Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve, Limpopo Province, South Africa.

Cyril Ruoso / Madagascar scops owl (Otus rutilus) Berenty reserve, Madagascar.

Cyril Ruoso / Collared scops owl (Otus lettia) in dead tree, Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan, India.

Bernard Castelein / Madagascar scops owl (Otus rutilus) in tree cavity, Kirindy Forest, Madagascar.

Bernard Castelein / Madagascar scops owl (Otus rutilus) in tree cavity, Kirindy Forest, Madagascar.

Aflo / Japanese scops owl (Otus semitorques) perched on tree branch, Hachihigashi Town, Tottori Prefecture, Japan. March.

Mario Suarez Porras / Common Scops-Owl (Otus scops), Castile-La Mancha, Spain

Hanne & Jens Eriksen / Arabian Scops Owl (Otus pamelae) on branch at night, Oman, February

Ann & Steve Toon / Southern white-faced scops owl (Ptilopsus granti) in acacia tree, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Northern Cape, South Africa, January.

Tony Heald / African scops owl (Otus senegalensis) resting in tree hole, Etosha National Park, Namibia.

Piotr Naskrecki / African Scops Owl (Otus senegalensis) on the ground at night, South Luangwa National Park, Zambia. January.

Hanne & Jens Eriksen / Eurasian scops owl (Otus scops) resting, Oman, September

Dong Lei / Oriental Scops owl (Otus sunia) on branch, Simao Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China, May.

Andres M. Dominguez / Common Scops-Owl (Otus scops), Cadiz, Spain

Andres M. Dominguez / Common Scops-Owl (Otus scops), Cadiz, Spain

Dave Watts / Southern white-faced owl (Ptilopsis granti) Kgalagadi National Park, South Africa.

Richard Du Toit / Whitefaced Owls (Otus leucotis) perched on tree at night, Northern Cape, South Africa

Richard Du Toit / Whitefaced Owls (Otus leucotis) perched on tree at night, Northern Cape, South Africa

Dave Watts / African Scops Owl (Otus senegalensis) Kgalagadi National Park, South Africa

Konrad Wothe / Madagascar Scops-owl (Otus rutilus) perched in thorny tree, in the Thorny forest, Berenty reserve, South Madagascar, Africa

Cyril Ruoso / Malagasy Scops-Owl (Otus rutilus) portrait, Berenty Private Reserve, Madagascar

Cyril Ruoso / Indian Scops Owl (Otus bakkamoena) pair in nest cavity, India

Andrew Parkinson / Indian Scops Owl (Otus bakkamoena) two adults roosting in their nest hole. Bandhavgarh National Park, India.

Andrew Parkinson / Indian Scops Owl (Otus bakkamoena) adults roosting in tree nest hole. Bandhavgarh National Park, India. Non-ex.

Christophe Courteau / White faced scops owl (Otus leucotis) in a Candle-Pod Acacia (Acacia hebeclada) at night, Okavango Delta, Botswana

Christophe Courteau / White faced scops owl (Otus leucotis) in a Candle-Pod Acacia (Acacia hebeclada) at night, Okavango Delta, Botswana

Christophe Courteau / Southern White-Faced Scops Owl (Ptilopsis granti), Botswana

Christophe Courteau / African Scops Owl at night (Otus senegalensis) Okavango delta. Botswana

Christophe Courteau / Southern white faced scops owl {Ptilopsus granti}, Okavango Delta, Botswana.

Christophe Courteau / African Scops Owl at night (Otus senegalensis) Okavango delta. Botswana

Loic Poidevin / Collared scops owl (Otus lettia) Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh, India, March

Shibai Xiao / Collared scops owl (Otus bakkamoena lempiji) left and Asian barred owlet (Glaucidium cuculoides) on right, held captive in mans hands, being sold on market, Guangxi Province, China, November 2011.

Hanne & Jens Eriksen / Arabian scops owl (Otus senegalensis pamelae) perched on branch, Oman.

Loic Poidevin / Rainforest / Madagascar Scops Owl (Otus rutilus) looking out from a hole in tree, Madagascar.

Chien Lee / Moluccan Scops-Owl (Otus magicus) chick, Halmahera Island, North Maluku, Indonesia

Chien Lee / Moluccan Scops-Owl (Otus magicus) chick in threat display, Halmahera Island, North Maluku, Indonesia

Nick Garbutt / Madagascar Torotoroka Scops Owl (Otus rutilus) portrait. Ankarana Reserve, northern Madagascar, December.

Nick Garbutt / Two Madagascar Torotoroka Scops Owl (Otus rutilus) perched. Ankarana Reserve, northern Madagascar, December.

Robin Chittenden / Scops owl (Otus scops) asleep in tree, Lesvos, Lesbos, Greece, April

Sandesh Kadur / A pair of Collared scops owl (Otus lettia) at nest hole in a dead tree hollow, Kanha Tiger reserve, Madhya Pradesh, India, November

Florian Möllers / Oriental Scops owl (Otus sunia), Zhouzi Nature Reserve, Qinling mountains, Shaanxi, China. April

Sergey Gorshkov / African scops owl (Otus senegalensis) perched on Acacia tree at night, Okavango delta, Botswana, April

Chien Lee / Sunda Scops-Owl (Otus lempiji), Bau, Malaysia

Chien Lee / Sunda Scops-Owl (Otus lempiji), Bau, Malaysia

Shin Yoshino / Indian Scops Owl (Otus bakkamoena) camouflaged agains tree trunk, Japan

Shin Yoshino / Indian Scops Owl (Otus bakkamoena) at entrance to nest cavity, Japan

Dietmar Nill / Scops owl {Otus scops} perched in oak tree, Extremadura, Spain

Dietmar Nill / Scops owl (Otus scops) landing on ground, captive, Germany

Vincent Grafhorst / Malagasy Scops-Owl (Otus rutilus) sitting in tree hollow, Kirindy Forest, Madagascar

Rod Williams / Northern White-faced Owl (Ptilopsis leucotis) Formerly White-faced scops owl, captive, from Africa

Inaki Relanzon / Madagascar scops owl (Otus rutilus) Ankarafantsika National Park, Madagascar.

Tim Laman / Mantanani scops owl (Otus mantananensis) Dimakya Island, Palawan, Philippines, November

Hanne & Jens Eriksen / Socotra scops owl {Otus socotranus} in palm tree, Hadibo, Socotra Island, Yemen

Bernard Castelein / Collared scops owl {Otus bakkamoena} perching on tree trunk, Chambal river, border Madhya and Uttar Pradesh, India

Pete Oxford / Malagasy scops-owl (Otus rutilus) Ankarana Special Reserve, NW MADAGASCAR.

Nature Production / Japanese Scops Owl {Otus scops japonicus} Ishikawa, Japan

Yuri Shibnev / Collared Scops Owl {Otus bakkamoena lempiji} camouflaged in tree, South Primorsky, Russia.

Rod Williams / White faced scops owl {Otus leucotis} captive, from Africa

Dietmar Nill / Scops owl perched in oak tree {Otus scops} Extremadura, Spain

Luiz Claudio Marigo / Sokoke scops owl (Otus ireneae) pair, grey phase, Arabuko Sokoke, Kenya, endangered species

Luiz Claudio Marigo / Sokoke scops owl pair, grey phase, Endangered {Otus ireneae} Arabuko Sokoke, Kenya

Bengt Lundberg / Scops owl {Otus scops} Extremadura Spain

Luiz Claudio Marigo / Sokoke scops owl (Otus ireneae) orange phase, in tree, Kenya, endangered species

Luiz Claudio Marigo / Sokoke scops owl, orange phase, Endangered species {Otus ireneae} Kenya

Luiz Claudio Marigo / Two Sokoke scops owls (Otus ireneae) perched on branch, orange phase, Kenya, endangered species

Luiz Claudio Marigo / Sokoke scops owl (Otus ireneae) orange phase, in tree, Kenya, endangered species

Luiz Claudio Marigo / Sokoke scops owl pair, grey phase, Endangered {Otus ireneae} Arabuko Sokoke, Kenya

Luiz Claudio Marigo / Sokoke scops owl pair, grey phase, Endangered species {Otus ireneae} Kenya

Leo & Mandy Dickinson / Scops owl {Otus scops} on tree trunk

Bernard Castelein / Collared scops owl {Otus bakkamoena} Keoladeo Ghana NP, India

Dietmar Nill / Scops owl {Otus scops} perched in oak tree, Extremadura, Spain

Bernard Castelein / Collared scops owl. Bharatpur Keoladeo National Park, India

Richard Du Toit / White faced scops owl (Otus leucotis) with prey, South Africa Malamala GR.

Yuri Shibnev / Indian scops owl (Otus bakkamoena) Russia Ussuriland, South Primorskiy