My Science School

Ninox obscura, called Hume’s hawk-owl or Hume’s boo-book, is a medium-sized bird which belongs to the family Strigidae. It is endemic to the Andaman Islands in India, where it prefers moist lowland forests and mangroves. It also inhabits trees around cultivated fields, urban parks and rubber plantations. This owl has a chocolate brown plumage and a small whitish spot on its forehead between its eyes. Its head is round and its facial disk is ill-defined. Since ear tufts are absent in this species, it tends to look more hawk-like than others. Its underparts are paler than its upperparts and it has a long, banded tail. Its eyes and toes are yellow and its beak is dark and curved. Its legs and feet are covered with dark feathers.

This owl eats large insects, amphibians, lizards, small birds and small mammals. It is a highly nocturnal species and does most of its hunting at night. Its call is a repeated ‘wooooop’ or ‘ooo-uk’. A pair of these birds will form a lasting bond and take care of their young together. The female lays 3 to 5 white eggs in tree holes and is helped by the male to incubate them. These birds are non-migratory and disperse locally within the range after breeding.

This species is listed under the ‘Least Concern’ category in the IUCN Red List, since it is seen commonly within its range and its numbers are assumed to be stable. It faces threats from habitat destruction, human intrusion and trapping by pet traders.

Picture Credit : Google

 

Taenioptynx brodiei, also called the collared owlet or collared pygmy owl, is the smallest owl found in Asia. It measures between 15 and 17 cm and weighs between 52 and 63 gms. This diminutive owl belongs to the family Strigidae and unlike most owls, is diurnal in nature.

It is gray-brown in colour with a barred back and sides. It has white eyebrows, lemon-yellow eyes and a white throat patch. Its chin, chest and belly are covered in white feathers and ear tufts are absent. It has two black spots on each side of the back of its head, making it seem like it is watching from behind! These false eyes can confuse potential predators and are present in many pygmy owl species. This feature is called the pygmy owl ‘occipital face’.

This bird has a very unique call – ‘wup-wuwu-wup’, which is made while turning its head in all directions. This creates a ventriloquial effect and it is difficult to locate the owl due to this. It hunts during the day and perches on a sparsely foliaged branch looking out for prey. It eats mice, insects, lizards, small birds and worms.

Its natural habitat is submontane and montane forests (forests formed on the slopes of mountains) and is found throughout Asia in countries like India, Bangladesh, Laos, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Afghanistan and Malaysia. It is a resident bird across its habitat range and is a secondary cavity nester. This means it will occupy nests and tree hollows built by other bird species. It lays between 3 and 5 eggs and incubation occurs over 4 weeks. This species is listed under ‘Least Concern’ on the IUCN Red List and is mainly threatened by habitat loss.

Picture Credit : Google