owl-of-india-2

Owls of India Part-2

Continuous part of the post Owls of India Part-1

5. India Scops-owl (Otus bakkamoena)

Image credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_scops_owl#/media/File:Indian_Scops_Owl_
(Otus_bakkamoena)_by_Shantanu_Kuveskar.jpg

These are the most common type of Scops owl found in India. Widely distributed in peninsular India.

They can be seen easily in the Indian forest, they nest in cavities in trees. One of the most common birds in central India.

6. Mountain Scops-owl (Otus spilocephalus)

Image credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_scops_owl#/media/File:Mountain_Scops_Owl_(3)a.jpg

As the name suggests, these owls are found in the Himalayan mountains, in the states of Himachal, Uttarakhand and part of Jammu and Kashmir and the North-east Himalayas.

They live in the forest of oak and deodar. Their food is mainly insects, but they also feed on rodents and other smaller birds.

7. Oriental Scops-owl (Otus sunia)

Image credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4zOPAPYGro&list=PL-7bc_JUB4bxli47-9YH7FToLamyFBimX&index=10

They are found in central India, the western ghats, the eastern ghats and some parts of the Himalayas.

8. Collared Scops-owl (Otus lettia)

Image credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collared_scops_owl#/media/File:Collared_Scops-Owl.jpg

These owls are mostly found in the north-eastern Himalayan region. They lived in the forest of Oak, pine and deodar.

9. Pallid Scops-owl (Otus brucei)

Image credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pallid_scops_owl#/media/File:Pallid_Scops_Owl.jpg

This is a migrant owl of India. It enters India in the run of the Kutch of Gujarat. From there, they can go toward the south, where they landed in areas around Pune. Winter is the best time to see these owls in that area.

These owls prefer open areas but can also be found in forests. They feed on small insects like beetles, moles, crickets and also small rodents and lizards.

10. Eurasian Scops-owl (Otus scops)

Image credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_scops_owl#/media/File:Scops_Owl_(Otus_scops),Kalloni,_Lesvos,_Greece,_19.04.2015(16773748434).jpg

This is also a migratory owl of India. They come from the Euraia part of the world and stay in India for 4-5 months, then get back to their home.

11. Andaman Scops-Owl (Otus balli)

Image credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andaman_scops_owl#/media/File:Andaman_Scops_Owl.jpg

These birds are found in the Andaman Islands. Mostly found in forests and even around human populations.

They feed mainly on caterpillars and other insects. They can be seen walking around tree branches like a parrot in search of food.

12. Nicobar Scops Owl (Otus alius)

Image credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicobar_scops_owl#/media/File:Nicobar_Scops_Owl_-_Shreeram_M_V.jpg

Very rare and only found in the Nicobar Islands.

These owls are found in coastal forests and mangroves.

13. Eurasian Eagle-owl (Bubo bubo)

Image credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_eagle-owl#/media/File:Bubo_bubo_3_(Martin_Mecnarowski).jpg

These are one of the largest owls of India.

These owls are found in the mountains of the north-west Himalayas at higher altitudes of 1800-5000m. They feed on large rodents, hares, pheasants, ducks, pigeons, etc.

14. Indian Eagle-Owl (Bubo bengalensis)

Image credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_eagle-owl#/media/File:Bengalese_Eagle_Owl.jpg

They are similar to Eurasian Eagle Owl, but the Indian Eagle Owl is found all over India except the high mountains.

15. Dusky Eagle-owl (Bubo coromandus)

Image credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dusky_eagle-owl#/media/File:Dusky_Eagle_Owl_(7870700022).jpg

They are found all over the forest and water areas. These are the only owl species of India that don’t live in tree cavities, except that they use other birds’ abandoned nests for breeding. They prefer water areas, like near the pond and riverside.

16. Forest Eagle Owl (Ketupa nipalensis)

Image credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spot-bellied_eagle-owl#/media/File:Spot-bellied_Eagle-Owl_by_N.A._Nazeer.jpg

Also known as the spot-bellied eagle-owl. These are found in the Himalayas and Western Ghats of India. They prefer to live in dense evergreen and deciduous forests.

These owls have some of the scariest calls of the birds. And hearing that at midnight might have given them their nickname. Because of their spooky call and looks, these owls are also known as devil birds.

17. Brown Fish Owl (Ketupa zeylonensis)

Image credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_fish_owl#/media/File:Insta_02.jpg

As the name suggests, they mainly feed on fish, frogs and frogs but also can eat rodents and reptiles. These owls are also found near water bodies, as their favourite food comes from water. These are found all over India.

18. Buffy Fish Owl (Ketupa ketupu)

Image credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffy_fish_owl#/media/File:Buffy_Fish_Owl_-_Shreeram_MV.jpg

19. Tawny Fish Owl (Ketupa flavipes) 

Image credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tawny_fish_owl#/media/File:Tawny_Fish_Owl.jpg

Both are very similar to the brown fish owl, but the main difference is that they are found in the Himalayas.

Information credit: Dr Girish Jathar, Ornithologist
Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4zOPAPYGro

This is part 2 of the whole list, the next upcoming parts are below