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Pallid Scops Owls are small owls. They have the typical mid-grey, slightly reflective and highly cryptic plumage of many owls, with dark-grey streaks and light silvery-grey patches. The facial mask is grey, the edge of the mask is mottled brownish-grey and dark-grey. Also parts of the back have a brownish tinge. The very large eyes have yellow irises. The short, hooked bill is dark-grey. The feet and legs are covered with brownish-grey feathers. Juveniles have no facial mask yet, no tail and a barred or scalloped general appearance, rather than striated.

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 Pallid Scops Owl is available HERE .

Pallid Scops Owls are mostly found in temperate climate zones, from parts of Asia Minor and the Middle East into western and central Asia. Some individuals spend the northern winters farther South, in parts of Egypt, the Arabian peninsula, Pakistan or India. They are reliably found on both sides of the Strait of Hormuz.

In Arabia Pallid Scops Owls are mostly winter visitors. They are found mainly along the North coast of Oman and the UAE.

They are usually found in semi-open landscapes with suitable vegetation (trees, shrubs for perches/roosts) and interspersed open areas in which they prefer to hunt. We have seen them in a built-up area with little or no night life, i.e. the Campus of Sultan Qaboos University.

The owls shown below were seen by us on the Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, in the timeframe February-April 2010. Based on the photos below, the birds' estimated sizes and various calls, an expert identified them as Pallid Scops Owls. The fact that the pair observed by us had fledgling chicks when first seen indicates that some individuals stay in Oman all year round, rather than just as winter visitors.

Although none of the photos show this, we have seen birds with their ear tufts erected.