A very small owl with small but well-developed ear hair that is blade-shaped when erected. Women weigh on average about 24 grams more than men. There are gray and brown morphologies, as well as large individual variations. The crown and forehead have relatively wide axial stripes. The upper part is grey or brown with fine demoral protrusions and dark stripes, and the tunic has reddish-brown margins of feathers and upper wing coverings. The white area on the shoulder blade forms a white band on the shoulder. The feathers and tail feathers are light and dark, and the outer web of the nascent order has large white spots. The pale lower part has dark stripes and fine demoral markings. The dough also has tiny vermiculite and dark folds. The eyes are yellow and the mouth is black-horned. Tarsi has feathers on the base of his dark gray brown toes and dark brown claws on his toes. Juvenile fluffy chickens are white. The mediator resembles an adult worm, but is fluffy and less marked.
A short, frog-like purr, each note lasting half to a second, is emitted in long sequences at intervals of 5-8 seconds for a long time. Food and hunting feed mainly on insects, but there are also spiders, scorpions and, occasionally, small vertebrates. Usually hunted on perches, also sold flying insects. The habitat is semi-open woodland and savanna, with trees and thorny bushes everywhere, but it is also often found in park-like areas and gardens close to human habitat. Usually below 2000 meters above sea level.
Its current status and distribution live in the sub-Sahara Desert, from southern Mauritania to Ethiopia and Eritrea, south to the capes of southern Africa, but some do not exist in the densely forested areas of the African continent. Fairly common within its range.
Three subspecies of geographic variation are classified: Senegal, a place name from all over sub-Saharan Africa; The Nevasus, a very pale race from southeastern Kenya; and the O.S. feae from the island of Annobón (Pagalu) in Equatorial Guinea (but off the coast of Gabon), are much darker than the nominated race. This last island race can guarantee species status, but research has not yet been conducted. The nivosus race is known only from three specimens collected along the lower Tana River and the Lali Mountains in southeastern Kenya.
Similar species in winter to the Scops owl overlap with this species in the rainforests of northern Africa, but have relatively long wings (different wings - formula); sound is the best means of separation. Geographically separated São Tomé Scops owls have almost invisible ear clumps and featherless lower halves of tarsi, which are usually uniform in color.