Palau scops owl

The Palau scops owl or Palau owl (Otus podarginus) is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. Palau scops owls are dark reddish-brown with small white dots scattered across their feathers. They are endemic to the Palau Islands in the western Pacific, where they are found in woodland and lagoon trees, ravines and mangrove swamps. Palau owls nest in hollows of trees, live in groups and are territorial.

Palau scops owl
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Strigiformes
Family:	Strigidae
Genus:	Otus
Species:	O. podarginus
Binomial name
Otus podarginus (Hartlaub & Finsch, 1872)
Synonyms
Otus podarginus Pyrroglaux podargina Pyrroglaux podarginus

The Palau scops owl was formerly placed in the monotypic genus Pyrroglaux. It was moved to Otus based on the results of a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2019.^[3][4]