The brown wood owl, or Strix leptogrammica, is a medium-sized bird which belongs to the family Strigidae. It is a dark brown bird with white spots on its shoulders and brown striped underparts. Its facial disk is brown with prominent lighter-coloured circles around its dark brown eyes.
These birds are non-migratory and are found in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Taiwan and south China. Its natural habitat are dense forests at altitudes ranging from 750 to 2,500 metres. It is one of the most well known species of owl due to its wide range. Nocturnal in nature, it has several adaptations that help it to hunt at night. For starters, its eyes are larger than usual and are highly sensitive in the dark. It can also rotate its head 90 degrees vertically and 270degrees horizontally with the help of 14 vertebrae present in the neck, which helps it to spot prey. It has extremely good hearing capabilities and can locate its prey even if it is hidden under foliage.
This is due to asymmetrical ears that are located at different levels on its head which allows it to pinpoint the origin of sounds. Its wings are finely jagged which helps it to fly silently and pounce on its prey, taking it by surprise.
It eats bats, birds, reptiles, rats, frogs, mice, small birds and insects. These owls tear apart the prey before eating them and may be seen plucking out the feathers of birds before consuming them. This is because they are unable to digest feathers, hairs and bones.
They build their nests in tree cavities and caves. The female lays 1 to 2 eggs and the incubation period is about 30 days. They are listed as a species of ‘Least Concern’ on the IUCN Red List due to their large range.
Picture Credit : Google
