The Rajah scops owl (Otus brookii ) is a species of owl found on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. The bird is named after James Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak. Based on patterns of speciation in other endemic montane bird species of the same region, it may potentially have to be split into two distinct species; if so, the name Otus brooki would be restricted to just the Bornean population.
Adults have a fierce looking face; Body overall dark brown; when perched, blackish crown and white ear tufts visible; underparts brownish with thick black streaking. Orange iris distinct. The subspecies Otus brookii solokensis is different in plumage from O. b. brookii in having darker underparts; streaking thicker and nuchal collar less distinct. Juveniles of O. b. brookii remain un-described. O. b.solokensis has rufous upperparts and vermiculations on the underparts.
O. b. solokensis has a comparatively large range, being distributed throughout the length of the Barisan Mountains. In contrast, O. b. brookii was formerly only known to have a comparatively small range in the mountains straddling the border of Kalimantan and Sarawak, with a small extension into Sabah. Due to its secretive nature, it had not been sighted in since its description by Richard Bowdler Sharpe in 1892. In May 2016, an individual was observed and photographed on the slopes of Mount Kinabalu, well away from the range it was formerly assumed to have, marking a new range extension for subspecies, the first sighting of it in over 125 years, and the first-ever photograph of it in the wild. The sightings were reported in 2021.
It is uncommon in montane forests above an altitude of 1100m. It can be found perched in the lower canopy.
