Otus fossil map
Where fossils of Otus have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 0 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 0 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Prehistoric birds |
|---|---|
| Lived | 20.45 million years ago to the present (Burdigalian to Holocene) |
| Periods | Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Strigidae |
| Named by | Pennant 1769 |
| Fossil records | 38 occurrences at 33 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Mauritius, Greece, Madagascar, Réunion, Portugal, United States, Spain, Italy, Japan, France … |
| Rock formations | txn:39403 |
About Otus
Scops owls are typical owls in family Strigidae belonging to the genus Otus and are restricted to the Old World. Otus is the largest genus of owls with 59 species. Scops owls are coloured in various brownish hues, sometimes with a lighter underside and face, which helps to camouflage them against the bark of trees. Some are polymorphic, occurring in a greyish- and a reddish-brown morph. They are compact in size and shape. Female scops owls are usually larger than males.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Scops owl (revision 1374500104), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q832329.
