So far no scops owl has settled in them; common starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) have regularly nested and bred in them. This year, in one of the nesting boxes, it finally happened: three chicks hatched. When they hatch, the female scops owl and the chicks are fed by the male. When the chicks have grown a little, the parents feed them alternately.
Photo: Eva Kobe
During mating the male calls the female with the distinctive sound »kiuh« in short intervals. His call resembles the word "čuk", which used to be this bird's Slovenian name, until naturalist Fran Erjavec in his book Domestic and Foreign Animals in Pictures incorrectly labeled it as a scops owl and placed it among the owls. The book was very popular among people, so the wrong name has persisted to this day, and the "čuk" is now the name of the little owl (scientific name Athene noctua).
Photo: Eva Kobe
The Eurasian Scops Owl is the only true migrant among our ten species of owls. Every autumn it migrates to Africa, from where it returns at the end of April.
