SPOT
BELLIED EAGLE OWL - ENVIRONMENT
News:
Spot Bellied Eagle Owl
spotted in Seshachalam forest of Andhra Pradesh for the first time
What's in the news?
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A wildlife team recently stumbled upon a
‘Spot Bellied Eagle Owl’ (Bubo Nipalensis) for the first time in Seshachalam
forest, and for the third time in Andhra Pradesh.
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The team also spotted a ‘Mottled Wood Owl’
(Strix Ocellata) last weekend in the fields abutting Chamala forest on the
Tirupati-Annamayya inter-district border.
Spot
Bellied Eagle Owl:
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The bold predatory bird, measuring 20-25
inches in length and weighing between 1.5 kg and 2 kg, feeds on small rodents
and lizards.
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The bird makes a strange scream similar to
humans and it is hence called the ‘Ghost
of the Forest’ in India and ‘Devil Bird’ in Sri Lanka.
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Habitat:
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The bird’s habitat, found on large trees
in thick forests, is spread across the Indian subcontinent.
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Distribution:
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India,
Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, China, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia,
Vietnam.
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Conservation Status - Least Concern.
Mottled
Wood Owl:
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The mottled wood owl species are endemic to India.
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These mottled wood owl species have
moderate forest dependence.
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These species occur in altitudes from 0 to
100 meters.
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Conservation
Status:
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IUCN Status - Least Concern.
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CITES status - Appendix II.