Common Name: Moheli Scops-owl
Scientific Name: Otus moheliensis

Distribution: Restricted to the small island of Moheli, in the Comoros Archipelago.

Biology: This small species of owl is one of four species found in the Comoros Archipelago (which includes Mayotte, although this island is not part of the country of Comoros). The Moheli Scops-owl is, like its island relatives, a forest bird, that prefer the humid forest of the Moheli highlands. Here it hunt small animals, primarily larger insects, but also rodents and lizards. It is a very vocal species, and in certain locations on Moheli, multiple pairs can be heard calling as one moves through the forest.

IUCN Conservation Status: Endangered
The Moheli Scops-owl has a tiny distribution on an island where deforestation is a serious problem to the native wildlife. The total population is estimated in around 400 individuals, although this number may no reflect the true size of the population, due to limited fieldwork in the Comoros.
Some observations near human settlement in the lowland may indicate that the species is able to adapt to new habitats, and tolerate as well as forage in degraded forest, which may spell some hope for the species’ long term status.