The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and
specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found,
based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to
ebird.org
.
The global distribution of the Eurasian Scops Owl is available
HERE
.
Eurasian Scops Owls are a partly sedentary, partly migratory
species, of which there are 6 extant races: "scops",
"mallorcae",
"insects", "cycladum", "pulchellus" and "turanicus".
Races "insects" and "cycladum" breed in Asia Minor and
the Levant, respectively, while race "pulchellus" breeds
in central Asia.
Their breeding range extends from parts of far-northern
Africa into southern Europe, Asia Minor, the Levant and
parts of south-western and central Asia.
Most Eurasian Scops Owls overwiner in sub-Saharan Africa;
only a minority is sedentary around the Mediterranean Sea.
In Europe there are two races. Nominate race "scops" breeds
in most of Europe, except Iberia, where race
"mallorcae"
is found. Although there are Eurasian Scops Owls in the
southern half of France, the largest part of the population
remains southward of the latitude of the Pyrenees and the
Alps.
While most birds are migratory, some stay over winter in
the extreme South of Europe (southern Spain, the Balearic
Islands, the southern tip of Italy and Sicily, the
Peloponnes in Greece, Crete and Cyprus).
Eurasian Scops Owls can be found in a variety of habitats,
ranging from braodleaved to mixed open woodland
up to, and sometimes above, 1500 m altitude,
to well-vegetated areas influenced by humans, such
as churchyards, parks or lush or neglected gardens.