RECORDING 1
DATE/TIME: 2/june/2003 (10 p.m.) - IDENTIFICATION AND BEHAVIOUR: the bird was perched (not seen) on a big oak and was answering to another far scops owl (circled blue in the spectrogram). Zone with cultivated fields and scattered trees, near a wood. - POSITION: Poderone near Magliano in Toscana, LAT. N. 42°36'/LONG. E 11°16' - ALTITUDE: +130 m. - VOCALIZATION TYPE: typical "pew" call (territorial call). - SEX/AGE: unknown - COMMENT: note that the detection of harmonics by the spectrogram can be greatly influenced by distance and obstacles (particularly leaves and branches) - MIC: (U)

recording 1 (169 KB) - * - spectrogram 1 (25 KB)

RECORDING 2
DATE/TIME: 7/july/2003 (11.30 p.m.) - IDENTIFICATION AND BEHAVIOUR: the bird was perched (not seen) on a big oak, 150 m. far from that of Recording 1 (probably an adiacent territory). Habitat as above. - POSITION: Poderone near Magliano in Toscana, LAT. N. 42°36'/LONG. E 11°16' - ALTITUDE: +130 m. - VOCALIZATION TYPE: territorial call. It was responding to another far Scops owl. - SEX/AGE: unknown - COMMENT: striking differece with Recording 1! The harmonics component are more marked, the dominant frequency is higher and differently modulated. Maybe this is a female call, because the frequency is about 1500 Hz, a definitely high value. - MIC: (U)

recording 2 (180 KB) - * - spectrogram 2 (26 KB)

RECORDING 3
DATE/TIME: 22/june/2003 (10 p.m.) - IDENTIFICATION AND BEHAVIOUR: the bird was perched (not seen) on a big oak, the same of Recording 2. Habitat as above. - POSITION: Poderone near Magliano in Toscana, LAT. N. 42°36'/LONG. E 11°16' - ALTITUDE: +130 m. - VOCALIZATION TYPE: territorial call. - SEX/AGE: unknown - COMMENT: this call differs from the other two presented above. This doesn't seem the same bird of Recording 2, although it calls from the same tree. The high pitch of the dominant frequency suggests a female call. - MIC: (U)

recording 3 (165 KB) - * - spectrogram 3 (23 KB)

RECORDING 4
DATE/TIME: 22/june/2003 (10.10 p.m.) - IDENTIFICATION AND BEHAVIOUR: the bird was perched (not seen) in an oak copse, at the border of cultivated fields. It was 100 m apart from the perch of Recording 3. - POSITION: Poderone near Magliano in Toscana, LAT. N. 42°36'/LONG. E 11°16' - ALTITUDE: +130 m. - VOCALIZATION TYPE: territorial call. - SEX/AGE: unknown - COMMENT: Note that this Scops owl utters two slightly different syllables in the same call bout. This is not uncommon: there are birds which have a "repertoire" of two (rarely three) different call types. - MIC: (U)

recording 4 (174 KB) - * - spectrogram 4 (28 KB)

RECORDING 5
DATE/TIME: 27/april/2004 (10 p.m.) - IDENTIFICATION AND BEHAVIOUR: the bird was perched (not seen) on a big oak tree in a vineyard. - POSITION: Poderone near Magliano in Toscana, LAT. N. 42°36'/LONG. E 11°16' - ALTITUDE: +90 m. - VOCALIZATION TYPE: territorial call. - SEX/AGE: unknown - COMMENT: Maybe a male call: note a lower dominant frequency than those of Recording 3 and Recording 4. Background: crickets and amphibian calls. - MIC: (A)

recording 5 (239 KB) - * - spectrogram 5 (21 KB)

RECORDING 6
DATE/TIME: 10/july/2016 (10.30 p.m.) - IDENTIFICATION AND BEHAVIOUR: A fledged young - in sight - is perched on a tree near its nest. It is fed by a parent. - POSITION: Rocchette di Fazio near Semproniano, LAT. N. 42°73'/LONG. E 11°51' - ALTITUDE: +420 m. - VOCALIZATION TYPE: begging calls of the young and feeding call of the adult. - SEX/AGE: fledged young and adult bird (sex unknown) - COMMENT: This recording was kindly provided by Guido Ceccolini, ornithologist and expert of raptor birds (www.capovaccaio.it). Note at 15" the shrill calls of the adult bird superimposed to the begging calls of the young (see spectrograms). These adult calls closely resemble some copulation calls reported by other authors (see for example: Bergmann, Helb, Baumann "Die Stimmen der Vogel Europas"). Background: territorial calls of adult Scops Owl. - MIC: Microphone Sennheiser ME20 with parabolic Sony PBR330, Digital recorder Tascam DR-05.

recording 6 (507 KB) - * - spectrogram 6 (102 KB)

RECORDING 7
DATE/TIME: 23/august/2004 (10.30 p.m.) - IDENTIFICATION AND BEHAVIOUR: the bird was perched (not seen) on a pine tree in a camping near a road. - POSITION: Marsiliana, Grosseto, LAT. N. 42°31'/LONG. E 11°19' - ALTITUDE: +20 m. - VOCALIZATION TYPE: alarm call. - SEX/AGE: unknown - COMMENT: This call is very similar to some Little Owl calls (check this species) and can be easily confused with those vocalisations. Background: human voices. - MIC: (A)

recording 7 (809 KB) - * - spectrogram 7 (60 KB)

RECORDING 8
DATE/TIME: 19/june/2011 (8.30 p.m.) - IDENTIFICATION AND BEHAVIOUR: the bird was perched (not seen) on the border of an oak forest, near a farm house. Zone with cultivated fields, olive groves and vineyards. - POSITION: Poderone near Magliano in Toscana, LAT. N. 42°36'/LONG. E 11°16' - ALTITUDE: +120 m. - VOCALIZATION TYPE: alarm call. - SEX/AGE: unknown - COMMENT: This audio sample is part of a longer recording. Another example of alarm call, slightly different from that of the previous recording and endlessly uttered. Background: orthoptera stridulation, amphibian calls and Otus Scops territorial call. - MIC: (P)

recording 8 (958 KB) - * - spectrogram 8 (61 KB)

RECORDING 9
DATE/TIME: 25/april/2007 (9.30 p.m.) - IDENTIFICATION AND BEHAVIOUR: the bird was perched (in sight) on a big oak near a farm house. Zone with cultivated fields, olive groves and vineyards. - POSITION: Poderone near Magliano in Toscana, LAT. N. 42°36'/LONG. E 11°16' - ALTITUDE: +120 m. - VOCALIZATION TYPE: territorial call. - SEX/AGE: unknown - COMMENT: This audio sample is part of a very long recording. Probably this is a male call; between 11" and 20" there is likely a female that answers. This is a rare example of a bird with three different call types uttered in the same call bout (see spectrograms). Background: Otus Scops territorial calls, amphibian calls, Nightingale and barking dogs. - MIC: (P)

recording 9 (1846 KB) - * - spectrogram 9 (120 KB)

RECORDING 10
DATE/TIME: 29/april/2014 (8.15 p.m.) - IDENTIFICATION AND BEHAVIOUR: the bird was perched (not seen) on a big oak at the border of a grazed pasture. Zone with cultivated fields, olive groves and pastures for sheeps. - POSITION: Fields near Perotto Lake, Montiano, LAT. N. 42°36'/LONG. E 11°14' - ALTITUDE: +105 m. - VOCALIZATION TYPE: soliciting(?) call. - SEX/AGE: unknown - COMMENT: This is a quite uncommon call type, probably uttered by a female, because it is relatively high pitched (see spectrograms and compare with the background calls likely uttered by males). Some authors suggests it as a soliciting call, mainly used in the intersexual behaviour (e.g. copulation). This recording was made at the beginning of the reproductive season and there are many territorial calls in background, probably from male birds, therefore the "soliciting" function may be likely, although there is not evidence of a close contact with another Scops Owl in this recording. Note that this call has a non rhythmic pattern, in contrast with the precise rhythm usual for Scops owl calls. Background: Scops Owl calls and Nightingale song. - MIC: (P)

recording 10 (1163 KB) - * - spectrogram 10 (83 KB)

RECORDING 11
DATE/TIME: 23/october/2014 (7 p.m.) - IDENTIFICATION AND BEHAVIOUR: a young bird was found in a church bell tower, it remained there for about 40 days and sometimes it was fed by a man. At the end of october the bird disappeared, probably it begun the migration toward Africa. The recording was made in the church bell tower and the bird was fairly confident. - POSITION: Arcille, Grosseto, LAT. N. 42°48'/LONG. E 11°15' - ALTITUDE: +60 m. - VOCALIZATION TYPE: attempts of hooting, "bip" calls and feeding calls. - SEX/AGE: young bird of about five months, sex unknown - COMMENT: The age of the bird was estimated from the timing of the pairs breeding nearby and from the plumage. The bird was stimulated by the presence of men and it has called sponteneously. At the end of the audio sample it was fed with a dead orthoptera and it uttered some tiny trills. Note the attempts to utter hoots, which are not completely formed, but emitted with a fairly constant rhythm (see spectrograms for details). Interestingly sometimes the bird fails to utter a hoot and vocalizes with a soft brief "bip". Therefore the adult vocal repertoire is not completely developed in this bird aged five months. - MIC: (P)

recording 11 (1052 KB) - * - spectrogram 11 (91 KB)

RECORDING 12
DATE/TIME: 1/march/2017 (7.30 p.m.) - IDENTIFICATION AND BEHAVIOUR: one bird - not in sight - is on a pine tree of a pinewood near Orbetello lagoon. - POSITION: La Patanella, Orbetello lagoon, LAT. N. 42°28'/LONG. E 11°13' - ALTITUDE: +2 m. - VOCALIZATION TYPE: territorial call. - SEX/AGE: unknown - COMMENT: The bird was perched no more than 10 m from me, therefore the calls have been produced with a very low sound amplitude (spectrograms have been made with an amplified file). Moreover these calls are relatively short. As it is evident from the date, the breeding season is only at the beginning and this can be the reason of these faint and short calls. Background: Magpie calls and human voice. - MIC: (P)

recording 12 (643 KB) - * - spectrogram 12 (54 KB)

RECORDING 13
DATE/TIME: 20/july/2005 (10 p.m.) - IDENTIFICATION AND BEHAVIOUR: one bird is on a pine tree near the border of a road. - POSITION: La Carla raod near Magliano in Toscana, LAT. N. 42°35'/LONG. E 11°15' - ALTITUDE: +50 m. - VOCALIZATION TYPE: territorial call. - SEX/AGE: adult male - COMMENT: Note the series of identical calls interrupted by only one "mistaken" vocalisation, a bit different from the others (see spectrograms). This is a relatively common "mistake" found sometimes in long call series. The audio sample is part of a longer recording. - MIC: (A)

recording 13 (309 KB) - * - spectrogram 13 (68 KB)

RECORDING 14
DATE/TIME: 24/july/2005 (10.30 p.m.) - IDENTIFICATION AND BEHAVIOUR: three birds - not in sight - are perched in a copse near a farm house. - POSITION: Talamone road near Montiano, LAT. N. 42°37'/LONG. E 11°12' - ALTITUDE: +90 m. - VOCALIZATION TYPE: territorial calls. - SEX/AGE: unknown - COMMENT: Note the difference between the calls of the three birds. One of them has a particularly atypical vocalisation (see spectrograms), maybe it is a female because it shows a higher pitch, but normally females call more frequently at the beginning of the breeding season, therefore the attribution of this call to a female is pretty uncertain. - MIC: (A)

recording 14 (382 KB) - * - spectrogram 14 (85 KB)

RECORDING 15
DATE/TIME: 13/april/2006 (10 a.m.) - IDENTIFICATION AND BEHAVIOUR: one Scops owl - not in sight - is perched in a pinewood near the bank of a lagoon. - POSITION: Orbetello lagoon, LAT. N. 42°27'/LONG. E 11°13' - ALTITUDE: 0 m. - VOCALIZATION TYPE: territorial calls. - SEX/AGE: unknown - COMMENT: This bird calls by day (10 am), an event that sometimes happens, but in these cases the call bout is always very short. - MIC: (A)

recording 15 (68 KB) - * - spectrogram 15 (18 KB)