Collared scops owls spotted in Xiamen, SE China's Fujian

Collared scops owls perch on a tree branch on Siming Campus of Xiamen University in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Chen Bo)

A group of collared scops owls recently appeared in the trees on Siming Campus of Xiamen University in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province, attracting a crowd of birdwatching enthusiasts.

The collared scops owl, a species under second-class state protection in China, is a year-round resident in Xiamen's mountain forests and typically breeds between March and June, according to Ke Yukun of the Xiamen Birdwatching Society.

Ke said the owls have returned to the same tree hollow to nest for five consecutive years, raising up to four chicks each year.