Sandy Scops-Owl Otus icterorhynchus

Small owl of west and central African rainforest. Note the white slash on the shoulder, the small ear tufts, and the pale spots on the underparts. The overall color varies from brown in the western part of the range to cinnamon in the east. Local and scarce in lowland rainforest. Usually detected by its vocalization, a long descending whistle, repeated with pauses of several seconds. Fairly similar in appearance to African Scops-Owl, but is brown or rufous rather than gray, has spotted rather than striped underparts, and is found in different habitat.