My Science School

The spot-bellied eagle-owl, or Bubo nipalensis, is an immense and intimidating owl which is considered part of a super-species of owl along with the barred eagle-owl. It is silver-gray or brown in colour with a large yellow beak, black eyes and feathered legs and feet. Its ear tufts or sideward-facing ‘horns’, are long and sweeping, giving it a formidable and unmistakable appearance. The overall plumage of this owl is dark brown on the head, upper wings and upper parts. The throat and the underparts are pale brown. The sides have black and white horizontal stripes.

It is a forest dwelling species, and is also known as the forest eagle-owl. It is found in the Indian subcontinent and in south-east Asia including Burma, central Laos and central Vietnam. In India it is found in the lower Himalayas in Kumaon and also in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Sikkim, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura and Mizoram.

It is nocturnal by nature and will roost in dense foliage of large trees during the day. However it has been found that these owls will also hunt during the day when possible, especially in forests with minimal human disturbance. It is a bold and fearless hunter and will often hunt prey that is heavier than itself. Its primary prey are pheasants, jungle-fowl, peafowl and game-birds, but it will also hunt jackals, hares, civet cats, snakes, monitor lizards, monkeys and even small-sized deer!

This owl usually nests in large tree cavities. It will also make use of abandoned large stick-nests of eagles, vultures or kites and occasionally nests in sheltered rock crevices, fissures and caves.

This owl is a non-migratory, resident bird. The female lays 1 white egg at a time and carries out incubation alone. It is listed under ‘Least Concern’ in the IUCN Red List, but is threatened by locals and poachers due to its formidable appearance and eerie scream (It has a low, double hoot, ‘hoohoo’ and a mournful mewing scream that rises and falls in a blood-curdling ‘njaa-uuuw’).

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The collared scops owl, or Otus lettia, is the largest of the scops owl species and belongs to the family Strigidae. It was described for the first time by Brian Houghton Hudgson in 1836. It is found in northern India and Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, south China and Taiwan, typically in evergreen forests, woodlands and deciduous forests.

It is a light gray bird with an off-white facial disc rimmed in black. Its upper parts are light beige mottled by black and dark brown markings. Its eyes are dark brown and it has long, spotted ear tufts and an off-green beak. It has rounded wings, feathered legs and gray-brown toes and claws. The bosom and belly are creamy brown. This owl is known as the king of camouflage as it blends into the nearby branches and is indistinguishable against any brown background.

It prefers to eat grasshoppers, birds, beetles and other insects and will occasionally consume lizards, rodents and frogs. It communicates by hooting and the length of the hoot depends on the nature of the call.

The female lays 3 to 5 eggs which are incubated by both parents over the period of a month. This species is spread across a large range and its population is steady. It is listed under ‘Least Concern’ by the IUCN.

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The Eurasian eagle-owl, or Bubo bubo, is a large-sized owl which belongs to the family Strigidae. It has a broad range and is found in Europe, northern Asia and the Middle East. Also called the uhu, this owl is very similar looking to the great horned owl except that it is much larger. In fact this owl is one of the largest owls in the world with a length of 75 cm and a wingspan of 188 cm. Only the Blakiston’s fish owl is larger than the eagle owl. This bird has tawny coloured upper parts which are mottled black. Its wings and tail are barred, and its facial disk is not very visible. It has pumpkin-orange coloured eyes and prominent ear tufts which make its dark face distinctive.

These owls are found mostly in mountainous regions and rocky areas and often near woodland edges or wetlands. They are occasionally found in farmland and parkland areas in European cities and even in busier, urban areas. A nocturnal predator that prefers rodents and rabbits, this owl will also prey on larger mammals when possible including birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and large insects.

The female eagle owl is larger than the male and lays 1 to 4 white eggs in a nest high up on a ledge or a rock face. She will incubate the eggs over a period of 31 to 36 days, during which the male brings her food. Upon perceiving a threat from an intruder, the female may carry out a ‘distraction display’ (where she will pretend to have an injured wing or leg) to focus the attention of the potential threat upon herself rather than the owlets! If all else fails, she may do a ‘threat display’ in which she will raise her wings into a semi-circle and puff up her feathers, snapping and hissing at the intruder!

In South Asia, this owl is found in northern Pakistan, northern Nepal, Bhutan and very rarely in northern India. These owls may live up to 600 years in captivity and up to 20 years in the wild. Their call is a gentle and repeated ‘woohoo...woohoo’. It has been listed as a species of ‘Least Concern’ by Birdlife International.

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The Indian eagle owl, or Bubo bengalensis, also called the Bengal eagle-owl or rock eagle is a large-sized owl that belongs to the family Strigidae. It is a handsome looking bird with brown and gray plumage speckled with dark patches and pale underparts. It has beautiful, orange eyes and prominent dark brown ear tufts. It is very similar-looking to the Eurasian-eagle owl, except that its facial disk is ringed by dark feather which is less visible in the Eurasian eagle owl. It is distributed across India, Pakistan, Nepal and Myanmar, where it prefers woodland, rugged landscapes and forests.

The Indian eagle owl has exceptional hearing and sight and makes a silent and deadly hunter. It prefers to hunt from a perch from which it dives to catch any prey that it spots. Its primary source of food is rats and mice, but it will also feed on reptiles, frogs, crabs and partridges when possible. It has a loud, booming call that is heard mainly during dusk and dawn. During the day it may be seen roosting under a bush, on a rocky hillock or in a leafy tree.

The female generally lays 2 to 4 creamy, white eggs in bare soil or in a natural recess such as a rock ledge or under a bush. Such nests are called ‘scrapes’. The incubation period lasts around 33 days and the young are cared for by the parents even after the fledgling stage until they are independent - which may take about 6 months.

Sadly, this beautiful creature has been victimized due to superstitious beliefs, which project it as a bad omen. This causes many people to hunt and kill this gentle wood dweller and sometimes perform gruesome cruelties upon it.

It comes under the ‘Least Concern’ category in the IUCN Red List and has survived due to its broad range and its protection under law in India.

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The oriental bay owl, or Phodilus badius, is a small-sized owl that belongs to the family Tytonidae. This bird is a deep chestnut brown with black spots on its underparts. It has a whitish heart-shaped facial disc with a distinct v-shaped ‘nose’. It has a short reddish brown tail, deep brown wings, dark eyes and a cream-coloured beak. It has a pinkish-cream front speckled with black dots and small tufted ears that protrude from the side of its head.

Commonly known as the Asian bay owl, this raptor is a unique species found in Southeast Asia. It is also found in India, China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Sri Lanka and the Malay Peninsula. It is usually found living in the holes of trees in deciduous forests, evergreen forests, plantations, foothills and mangroves. It may also be found in the woods between rice and fruit plantations.

Like most owls, the oriental bay owl is a solitary hunter who prefers to do most of its hunting by night. It communicates with other owls by means of repeated loud hoots and whistles. It builds its nests in cavities in trees of rock ledges. The female lays about 3 to 5 eggs and incubates them over a period of 36 to 42 days. The male brings her food during this time and both parents diligently look after the owlets once they are born.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, these birds come under the category of ‘Least Concern’ as this species has a steady population and a wide range.

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The Sri Lanka Bay Owl, or Phodilus assimilis, is a small-sized bay owl which belongs to the family Tytonidae. It is a rare and secretive bird that is seldom seen and only found in Sri Lanka and the Western Ghats region in Kerala - South India. It prefers tropical, moist forests and tropical high-altitude grasslands.

It is a distinctive looking bird with a heart-shaped face, brown, speckled upperparts and lighter underparts. Its facial disk is v-shaped in the middle with black, vertical streaks that pass downward through their intense black eyes. Its tail has 8 to 10 narrow dark bands and it has a yellowish beak. Its legs are short and feathered to the base of the bare toes, which are coloured a grayish-brown.

Also called the Ceylon bay owl, this evasive bird roosts in the hollows of trees during the day. It also makes its nest in tree hollows and lays around 2 to 3 pure white eggs. Incubation takes around 30 days, during which time the male owl will feed the female. Once the owlets hatch both parents assume duties of feeding and caring for them.

It has been observed that the young in a nest are often different in size which indicates that the eggs are laid over a period of several days. This owl has a pleasant, melodic whistling call which is repeated with inflections at a stretch.

Although there is always the threat of habitat loss, these owls are listed under ‘Least Concern’ in the IUCN Red List as they have a large range.

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The Andaman scops owl, or Otus balli, is a small raptor which belongs to the family Strigidae. This rare owl is found only on India’s Andaman and Nicobar islands. It is a small, dark brown owl with striking bright yellow eyes and a yellow beak. It has pale, creamish flecks on its upper parts and its plumage may range from a bright reddish brown to dark brown.

It is found in forests and is strictly nocturnal like most owls. Its call is an accelerating repeated, ‘wup-up-up-upupup’.

This bird gets its scientific name from Valentine Ball, an Irish geologist and ornithologist. These birds are small and agile and have two colour variants - gray brown and reddish brown. Its facial disc is light brown and it has prominent ear tufts and whitish eyebrows.

As with most owls, its vision and hearing are acute, which makes this bird an excellent hunter. Did you ever wonder why owls rotate their heads to see? This is because their eyes are fixed in their sockets. To make up for this, owls have numerous vertebrae in the neck enabling them to turn their heads almost 360 degrees!

This owl prefers semi-open areas, cultivated lands and plantations near human settlements. It appears to tolerate disturbances from human activities rather better than other owl species. This owl eats caterpillars, beetles and other insects as well as insect larvae. Like parrots, it moves sideways to catch and eat caterpillars.

It nests in tree hollows and abandoned woodpecker holes and lays its eggs between February and April. Although it makes local movements for feeding and breeding, it does not migrate and is an endemic resident of the Andaman Islands.

This species is considered ‘Near Threatened’ because of its small range - it is found exclusively in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It is also threatened by the destruction of its habitat due to human activities in the Andaman Islands.

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The bald eagle is the national symbol of the United States. But in the 1960s it had almost been wiped out there due to hunting. Pesticide DDT also wreaked havoc on the species. The chemicals collected in fish, which make up most of the eagle's diet. They weakened the bird's eggshells and severely limited their ability to reproduce. After the pesticide ban in 1972 and conservation efforts, the bird made a comeback and it was removed from the Endangered Species Act protection in 2007.

But the bald eagles are facing a new threat now - lead poisoning. A study of hundreds of bald eagles and golden eagles showed that nearly half of them had chronic lead poisoning.

The study, which was published in the journal Science, evaluated eagles in 38 states, testing their bones, feathers, livers and blood for lead. Researchers found that 46% of bald eagles and 47% of golden eagles had chronic lead poisoning.

Scientists believe that the primary source of the lead is spent ammunition from hunters who shoot animals that the eagles subsequently scavenge on. The lead concentrations spiked in the winter, when birds were less likely to find prey and more likely to be scavenging for a meal.

Why is this a problem?

Lead poisoning can prevent every system of an eagle's body - respiratory, digestive and reproductive - from functioning properly. Over time, ingested lead becomes stored in bones and this can cause severe loss of locomotion making an eagle lose its ability to fly and move.

Scientists have called for a ban on the use of lead ammunition in all the States of America.

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Hobby is the name given to a small-sized falcon with long, narrow wings. These birds are specialist aerial hunters that catch most of their prey mid-air. The oriental hobby and the Eurasian hobby are two species that come under the category of hobby. The oriental hobby is chestnut brown below and bluish gray above with a black hood and white throat. The Eurasian hobby is slate-gray above with a dark crown and two black streaks running downwards from the eyes.

The oriental hobby can be found on the Indian subcontinent across the eastern Himalayas, and also in Australia and Malaysia. It feeds on insects and birds and prefers forested areas, mangroves and foothill forests. Its call is a repeated ‘kee-kee-kee’. The Himalayan hobby is a migratory bird and moves south to south India and Sri Lanka for the winters. The IUCN lists them under ‘least concern’ in the Red List.

The Eurasian hobby can be found in Europe and Central Africa. It feeds on insects, birds and bats. It is a prolific hunter that can catch insects like dragonflies mid-flight and eat while still flying by transferring the prey into their mouths with their talons. These winged carnivores are so feared that small birds like barn swallows and house martins sound an alarm when they spot this raptor in the sky. This hobby can be found in open farmland, marshy lands and the savannah. It is a long distance migrant and spends winters in Africa and Asia. It is one of the fastest flying birds with a top speed of 200 km/hr. It is a very bold and plucky bird that was used in falconry and trained to hunt birds like quails, larks and hoopoes. It has a repertoire of beautiful calls which it uses to communicate with other birds. It is listed as a species of ‘Least Concern’ in the IUCN Red List.

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The shaheen falcon, or Falco peregrinus peregrinator, is a small-sized, powerful falcon from the family Falconidae. This falcon is a subspecies of the peregrine falcon, which is renowned for its astonishing speed. These birds are known to be the fastest creatures on earth with dive speeds of 320 km/hr!

They prey on small and medium-sized birds using a special hunting technique known as the ‘stoop’. The stoop is a steep, controlled dive from a great height designed to strike prey at a very high speed with a massive blow in mid-air. This bird usually tucks its wings to its side while diving, unlike other raptors that make that final, deadly grab with their wings wide open. Usually the blow itself will kill the prey, but if it doesn’t, the shaheen will finish it off with a sharp bite on the neck.

Birds make up 77 to 99 per cent of its diet, and include pigeons, waterfowl, songbirds and grouse.

Also called the Indian peregrine falcon, the shaheen is a non-migratory bird that is found in all regions of India (including Andaman and Nicobar Islands) except Uttar Pradesh. It is also found in Sri Lanka and southeastern China. This raptor can be recognised from its slate-gray to blackish face and wings, dark eyes and whitish underparts. It has long tapered wings and a slim short tail. Its call is a series of sharp cries in quick succession, ‘kee-kee-kee’. Females are larger than the males.

They prefer to build their nests on rock faces and cliff ledges, but in India this bird has been observed to make its nest in tall buildings and even mobile phone transmission towers. The female typically lays 3 to 4 eggs and incubation lasts from 33 to 35 days. Both parents assume incubation and feeding duties.

It is listed as ‘Vulnerable’ in the IUCN Red List as population numbers have declined over the years. This is due to habitat decay, hunting and the use of pesticides such as DDT which enters their system through infected prey.

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The pied falconet, or Microhierax melanoleucos, is a small-sized raptor from the family Falconidae. It is found in the temperate forests of India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Hong Kong, Laos and Vietnam. The pied falconet is about the size of a household sparrow and has the distinction of being the smallest falcon in the world. It is a black and white raptor weighing about 75 gms. It has a white face with a prominent black streak that runs through its eye backwards and downwards like an artist’s brush stroke. Its upper parts as well as its crown are black and its long tail is black with narrow white bands running across it. Its eyes are bright brown and its heavy feet are brownish black with sharp, well formed talons. It is also called ‘white-legged falconet’ and its call is a shrill, high pitched scream and chattering whistle.

It is a non-migratory bird and stays in the same region all year. In northeast India, these birds are commonly found in pairs or groups of up to 5. It prefers deciduous forest edges and forest clearings. It perches on trees watching for prey and darts out to catch it mid-flight or pluck it out of a tree or surrounding foliage. It feeds on insects, small mammals, reptiles and even other birds. Make no mistake, this endearing-looking bird is primarily a hunter and will prey on birds much larger than itself, including thrushes!

It makes its nests in old woodpecker holes and reuses them the following year. The female lays a clutch of 3 to 4 white eggs in early March and the young generally fledge (are ready to fly) in mid-May. The species is listed under ‘Least Concern’ because of its large home range and stable population size.

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The laggar falcon, or Falco jugger, is a medium-sized bird of prey which belongs to the family falconidae. It is found in India, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar. Also called lugger falcon or jugger, this raptor weighs about 850 gms and has a wingspan of 110 cm. It is dark brown or gray on the top of the wings and back and has a paler face, throat and underside. The chest is striated and it has solid brown legs. It appears slender due to its long wings and tail. Its call is a loud ‘we-ee-ee’.

It prefers to inhabit open areas, dry woodlands and open country near human settlements and cultivation. It feeds on birds, small mammals and lizards. It is a non-migratory bird, preferring to reside all year round in the same region. It is conspicuously absent from South India.

This raptor uses the stick nests and holes of other birds for breeding. The female lays a clutch of 3 to 5 reddish-brown speckled eggs and the incubation period is about a month. Did you know that a baby laggar falcon is called an ‘eyas’?

This falcon is listed under ‘Near Threatened’ in the IUCN Red List. It was once the most widespread raptor in its range, but its numbers have declined drastically over the years due to human interference, use of pesticides and loss of habitat. This falcon is used by falconers as bait to hunt larger birds and it has correspondingly dwindled in places like Pakistan where falconry is a big sport.

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