The European Scops Owl (Otus scops)

From the book Owls of the Northern Hemisphere.Collins 1988

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map' In its cryptic posture the European Scops Owl resembles a miniature Long-eared Owl.With Ear tufts raised,its body feathers sleeked and eyes reduced to vertical slits,a Scops Owl is hard to distinguish by day from the rough texture of the bark of the tree in which it is hiding.It threatens any persistent intruder by raising its feathers,arching its half-open wings,swaying to and fro,flicking its upper eyelids over viciously staring eyes and snapping its bill (Scherzinger,1971;L Koenig 1973).Unless it ends up in unaccustomed places while migrating,The Scops Owl seems to be less frequently found and mobbed by small birds than most other owls in Europe'.........

From Owls of the Northern Hemisphere

Collins 1988.