AN Oriental Scops Owl decided it would play Santa Claus and sneak into a home in SS18 Subang Jaya but found itself trapped in the store room. The tiny little owl decided it would try and wait it out till Christmas but was discovered by the house owner earlier today.
Members of the Wild Bird Club of Malaysia living in Subang Jaya received a call to rescue the little visitor and were happy to see that the bird was uninjured and seemed healthy. A quick catch in the little storeroom bagged us the owl. The bird was given a quick visual check and was found to be okay except perhaps terrified by the human hands holding on to it.
The bird will be monitored for a day or two before it is released back into the wild. Hopefully “Santa” Owl will avoid sneaking into houses from now on.
Smallish scops-owl with bright yellow eyes. Comes in grayish-brown and bright rufous morphs. Generally weakly marked, without any prominent features: note weak black border to the facial disc, thinly streaked underparts, and short ear tufts (often held flat). Song is a 3- to 4-note series of hollow-sounding notes, with the last two in rapid succession. Inhabits forests, gardens, and parks from lowlands up into foothills; often close to human habitation in parts of its range.
Source of info: https://ebird.org/species/orsowl
Owls are totally protected birds in Malaysia under Act 716 WILDLIFE CONSERVATION ACT 2010.
