Rare Mottled Wood Owl at Bandhavgarh!

Rare Mottled Wood Owl at Bandhavgarh!

The Mottled Wood Owl or Strix ocellata is a species of large owl found in India. They can be found in Gardens, Thin deciduous forests adjacent to dry thorn forests or farmland. They have tremulous eerie calls at dawn and dusk which makes them different. The male and female duet call is unique while other notes include a low hoot and a screech. The male calls one or two times followed by the female's shorter and less tremulous version. They don't have ear tufts and are mottled in reddish brown and white color. They have fine black and white concentric barring on the face. The male and female are almost similar to each other in looks. They have white chin, orange eyelid with dark brown Iris. The tail is narrow and black brown in color. The concentric barring on the face and mottled crown separates it from the Brown Wood Owl in southern India.

They usually roost in pairs at daytime. They shelter within thick groves of trees but sometimes they fly in bright sunshine. They breed in November and build nests from February to April. The nest is built in the hollow of a tree with two or three whiter eggs. They eat palm squirrels, mice and other smaller mammals.