Scops Owl

Scops Owls 

Tokelau has pre-approved 16 stylised owl designs, in the Wisdom of Owls Series, the first of which, the Scops Owl, pictured below, will be released in 2018.  Scops owls mostly belong to the genus Otus, the largest genus of owls in terms of the number of species.  Scops owls are coloured in various brownish hues, sometimes with a lighter underside and/or face, which helps to camouflage them against the bark of trees.

Scops owls hunt from perches in semi-open landscapes.  They prefer areas which contain old trees with hollows as these are home to their prey which includes insects, reptiles, small mammals such as bats and mice and other small birds.  Scops owls have a good sense of hearing which helps them locate their prey in any habitat.  They also possess well-developed raptorial claws and a curved bill, both of which are used for tearing their prey into small pieces.  Scops owls are primarily solitary birds.  Most species lay and incubate their eggs in a cavity nest that was originally made by another animal.  During the incubation period, the male will feed the female.  These birds are monogamous, with biparental care, and only fledge one young per year.  Scops owls have only a single type of call which consists of a series of whistles or high-pitched hoots, given with a frequency of 4 calls per second or less, or of a single, drawn-out whistle.

The first release in this exciting series features a massive 65mm 1oz pure silver coin and is likely to be followed by other variations.  Get in on the ground floor with this new series from Tokelau!