Editing Japanese scops owl (section)

== Taxonomy ==
The Japanese scops-owl was first classified by Temminck and Schlegel in 1845. It is part of the family [[True owl|Strigidae]], the true owl family, which contains 90% of all owl species. The other 10% of owls are part of the family [[Barn-owl|Tytonidae]], the barn owl family.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}} The Japanese scops-owl is part of the genus ''[[Scops owl|Otus]]'' which is the largest genus of owls.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last1=Holt |first1=Denver W. |last2=Berkley |first2=Regan |last3=Deppe |first3=Caroline |last4=Enríquez |first4=Paula L. |last5=Petersen |first5=Julie L. |last6=Rangel Salazar |first6=José Luis |last7=Segars |first7=Kelley P. |last8=Wood |first8=Kristin L. |last9=Marks |first9=Jeffrey S. |date=2020 |title=Japanese Scops-Owl (Otus semitorques), version 1.0 |url=https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/jasowl1/cur/introduction |journal=Birds of the World |language=en |doi=10.2173/bow.jasowl1.01 |issn=2771-3105|url-access=subscription }}</ref> This genus includes 59 species of scops-owls found throughout [[Afro-Eurasia]]. The genus ''Otus'' was first introduced by Thomas Pennant in 1769 with the discovery of the [[Indian scops owl|Indian scops-owl]].<ref name=":2" /> The Japanese scops-owl is closely related to the [[Indian scops owl|Indian scops-owl]] (''Otus bakkamoena'') and was once thought to be the same species.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}} It is also related to the [[Collared scops owl|Collared scops-owl]] (''Otus lettia'') and the [[Sunda scops owl|Sunda scops-owl]] (''Otus lempiji''). These four species are sometimes considered [[conspecific]] and can be combined into a species known as the Collard scops-owl (''Otus bakkamoena)''{{citation needed|date=October 2023}}. The genus name ''Otus'', derived from Latin, means small-eared owl.

Three [[subspecies]] are recognised:<ref name=ioc>{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela Rasmussen | date=July 2023 | title=Owls | work=IOC World Bird List Version 13.2 | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/owls/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | access-date=25 October 2023 }}</ref>

* ''O. s. ussuriensis'' ([[Sergei Buturlin|Buturlin]], 1910) – northeast China, southeast Siberia and [[Korea|Korea Peninsula]]
* ''O. s. semitorques'' [[Coenraad Jacob Temminck|Temminck]] & [[Hermann Schlegel|Schlegel]], 1845 – [[Kuril Islands]] and [[Hokkaido]] south to Yakushima ([[Ōsumi Islands]], south Japan)
* ''O. s. pryeri'' ([[John Henry Gurney Sr.|Gurney, JH Sr]], 1889) – [[Okinawa Prefecture|Okinawa]] to Iriomote (central, south [[Ryukyu Islands]], south Japan)