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Code: Owl
Skills: Owl Life India
Client:Save Tree Save Life Society
Website: www.savetreesavelife.org

Project Description

The mottled wood owl (Strix ocellata) is a captivating species of large owl found in India and Nepal. These remarkable birds inhabit gardens and thin deciduous forests, often adjacent to dry thorn forests or farmland. Their distinctive calls, which are both tremulous and eerie, can be heard at dawn and dusk, making them easily detectable.

Description:
- These owls lack ear tufts and exhibit a mottled and vermiculated pattern in reddish brown and white.
- The face disc features fine concentric black and white barring.
- Both male and female have a characteristic duet call, while other notes include a low hoot and a screech.
- Their large size, absence of ear tufts, and the concentric barring on their face make them easy to identify.
- The chin is white, and the eyelid is orange with a dark brown iris.
- The tail is barred narrowly in brown and black.
- The mottled crown and concentric face barring distinguish them from the brown wood owl found in southern India.
Distribution and Habitat:
- Mottled wood owls are found in the plains, favoring gardens and lightly wooded habitats.
- During the day, they roost in trees, selecting branches with dense foliage.
- Although an old specimen was recorded in Lahore, there have been no recent sightings in Pakistan.
- Their distribution extends eastward to West Bengal and various parts of India.
- Notably, a doctor named Dr. Arpit Bansal in Prayagraj captured images of this owl, and an enthusiastic photographer named Sachin Yadav observed and photographed it in Kasimpur village of Azamgarh district, Uttar Pradesh.
Behavior and Ecology:
- Mottled wood owls typically roost during the day in pairs.
- When disturbed, they may even fly in bright sunshine, although they prefer shelter within dense groves of trees.
- Their eerie chuhua-aa call, characterized by a quaver in the second note, is an antiphonal duet between the male and female.
- This calling becomes more frequent in November, coinciding with their breeding season.