A Parliament of Owls
Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes, which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers adapted for silent flight. Exceptions include the diurnal northern hawk-owl and the gregarious burrowing owl. Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish. They are found in all regions of the Earth except polar ice caps and some remote islands. Owls are divided into two families: the true (or typical) owl family, Strigidae, and the barn-owl family, Tytonidae.
A group of owls is called a "parliament."
Featured here are some owls I have been fortunate to capture over the years and like always some were easy, some were all night stands, some were in the freezing cold, some were a long walk through dense jungles, with some there was light, with some there was none AND for one of them there was a Thermal Scope!
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Blakiston’s Fish Owl/ Blakiston’s Eagle Owl
The Blakiston’s Fish Owl (Bubo blakistoni) is a large, endangered, aquatic prey specialist distributed throughout Northeast Asia. They are one of four species of Typical Owls that specialize in eating fish. The island subspecies B. b. blakistoni is presently restricted to eastern Hokkaido Island and to Kunashir Island, with past records also from Sakhalin and Shikotan Islands. The mainland subspecies B. b. doerriesi is found along the western Sea of Japan coast and the western and northern coasts of the Sea of Okhotsk. The island population, at present, contains approximately 166–182 individuals, which represents an increase from a population low in the late 1980s. The size of the mainland population is more difficult to quantify given large expanses of un-surveyed potential habitat, but it is estimated within a range of 800–1600 individuals. Making the global population approximately 1000–1900 individuals (or 500–850 pairs) in the fish owl population.
This, I think, was my most memorable owl experience starting with a lot of planning and back and forth trying to get a date and time. A lot of requests to be allowed to spend a few hours at the hide and till the actual day of the shoot I didn’t know for sure if we would be able to get to the location. Finally we did get there and settled for an all night stand in the sub zero temperatures of Hokkaido waiting patiently for the owl to come and perch and hopefully feed. We settled in at midnight and waited in the freezing cold till the owl finally came at around 5am for 10 minutes.
Read the story of the endangered Shima-fukurou (Blakiston's Fish-Owl).
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Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl
The Spot-bellied Eagle-owl (Bubo nipalensis), also known as the forest eagle-owl is a large bird of prey with a formidable appearance. An immense and imposing owl of dense wet lowland and hill forests. The silver-gray adult is majestic, with a large yellow bill, black eyes, and sweeping sidewards-facing “horns.” A juvenile is much paler, almost white, with shorter tufts. It gives deep echoing hoots. It is a forest-inhabiting species found in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. This species is considered part of a superspecies with the barred eagle-owl (Bubo sumatranus), which looks quite similar but is allopatric in distribution, replacing the larger spot-bellied species in the southern end of the Malay Peninsula and the larger island in Southeast Asia extending down to Borneo. The spot-bellied eagle-owl is overall a stark, grayish brown bird, with dark, coarse brown coloration over the back and upper wings. The throat and underparts are mainly pale fulvous in color with black and white horizontal stripes along the flanks of the body that become broad spots on the abdomen and under tail coverts. On the wings, the primaries are dark brown with lighter brown stripes and the secondaries are more heavily barred with buff-brown coloration. The lores are covered in bristly feathers and the cheeks are brownish-white with black feather shafts. The large ear tufts slant off to the sides. Juveniles birds are distinct from adult birds, being a much paler grayish-cream overall with fairly heavy brownish barring. Distinguishing the spot-bellied eagle-owl is relatively straightforward, since other Indian and southeast Asian eagle owls do not generally dwell in deep forests as does this species. The spot-bellied is the largest of the owls in its range other than the tawny fish owl (Bubo flavipes), which is restricted in both habitat and diet to mountain streams. The spot-bellied eagle-owl is nocturnal and often spends its day hidden in the dense foliage of large forest trees. However, they have been observed on the move and even hunting during the day, especially in forests with minimal human disturbance. Their activity normally picks up at dusk as they begin to hunt sometimes taking prey as large as small deer. This owl is noted for its strange, human-sounding call, and it has been suggested that it is the same as the cryptid known as ulama or "Devil Bird" in Sri Lanka. A local name is Maha Bakamuna ("large horned owl").
This was after a long hike through fairly dense growth and up and down a couple of hills to finally find the owl perched high on a precarious hill side. Tripod rested against a tree and to be able to retain my balance I had my back against another.
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Ural Owl
The Ural Owl that lives in Hokkaido is actually a subspecies of the Ural Owl that Japanese often call the Ezo Fukurou (S. u. japonica). The Japanese used the name Ezo or Ezochi to refer to the island of Hokkaido until they renamed it in the mid-19th century, and Fukurou is the generic Japanese word for owl. "Ezo" appears in the names of many species and subspecies of wildlife that live in Hokkaido - for example my earlier blog on the Ezo Red Fox. Though Fukurou is the word for owl in Japanese, strictly speaking, Fukurou is only the Ural Owl which, in the case of our region of Hokkaido, is only one of 10 species of the Owl family (Fukurou-ka) that live here. We also had the good fortune to meet the largest living species of owl as well, the endangered Shima-fukurou (Blakiston's Fish-Owl).
Also known as Ural Wood Owls - they are medium-large, nocturnal owls found in Europe and northern Asia. Like most Strix species, it has a broad, rounded head with a correspondingly round facial disc, barring a tiny V-shaped indentation. The Ural owl has, for an owl, an exceptionally long tail that bears a wedge-shaped tip. In colour, it tends to be a plain pale greyish-brown to whitish overall (with more detailed description of their variation under subspecies), with a slightly darker grey-brown to brown back and mantle with contrasting whitish markings. The underparts are pale cream-ochre to grey-brown and are boldly (though sometimes more subtly) overlaid with dark brown streaking, without crossbars. Many variations are known in overall plumage colour both at the subspecies level and the individual level. However, the Ural owl usually appears as a rather pale grey-brown owl with distinct streaking below. Light and dark morphs are known to occur, with the light form being more common.
Read the story of the Ezo fukurou.
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Brown Wood Owl
The Brown Wood Owl (Strix leptogrammica) is found in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, and south China. The brown wood owl is a resident breeder in south Asia. This species is a part of the family of owls known as typical owls (Strigidae), which contains most species of owl. It belongs to the earless owl genus Strix. The brown wood owl is medium large (45–57 cm), with upper parts uniformly dark brown, with faint white spotting on the shoulders. The underparts are buff with brown streaking. The facial disc is brown or rufous, edged with white and without concentric barring, and the eyes are dark brown. There is a white neckband. The sexes are similar in appearance. The Brown Wood Owl is a shy, nocturnal bird. Roosts during the daytime in a dark, densely foliaged, often rather lofty tree. If disturbed at roost, this owl will compress itself into a shape resembling a stub of wood, while watching through half-closed eyes. If this fails, it will fly off silently. They are particularly vocal on moonlit nights. This species isn't commonly found in dense forests. It can often be located by the small birds that mob it while it is roosting in a tree. The diet of the brown wood owl consists mainly of small mammals, birds, and reptiles.
This one is special because I had help from an American Marine who was equipped with the awesome Pulsar Trail XP50 Thermal Scope. He spotted the owl in almost complete darkness and then let me take a peek to know where it was perched. The thermal “white hot” image was crystal clear and I asked him to help shine my spotlight on the owl. This was one of the images captured that night in the forests. The owl came and perched around midnight and stayed put for almost three quarters of an hour before the lights got to it.
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Spotted Owlet
The spotted owlet (Athene brama) is a small owl which breeds in tropical Asia from mainland India to Southeast Asia. A common resident of open habitats including farmland and human habitation, it has adapted to living in cities. They roost in small groups in the hollows of trees or in cavities in rocks or buildings. It nests in a hole in a tree or building, laying 3–5 eggs. They are often found near human habitation. The species shows great variation including clinal variation in size and forms a superspecies with the very similar little owl. A small and stocky bird, barely 21 centimetres (8.3 in) in size. The upper parts are grey-brown, heavily spotted with white. The underparts are white, streaked with brown. The facial disc is pale and the iris is yellow. There is a white neckband and supercilium. Sexes are similar. The flight is deeply undulating. The nominate form is darker than the paler forms such as indica of drier regions. This species is nocturnal but is sometimes seen in the day. When disturbed from their daytime site, they bob their head and stare at intruders. It can often be located by the small birds that mob it while it is perched in a tree. It hunts a variety of insects and small vertebrates. The call is a harsh and loud churring and chuckling chirurr-chirurr-chirurr ending with a chirwak-chirwak and they call mainly during early dawn or just after sunset. They are mainly found in southern Asia, from Iran to Vietnam, present on most of the Indian subcontinent (except Sri Lanka) and Southeast Asia, except peninsular Thailand and Malaysia.
These birds, being very familiar to humans especially with their loud calling, have been associated with bad omens. The species name brama is from the French name Chouette brame and indirectly refers to this owl's Indian habitat by way of homage to Brahma, the Hindu supreme spirit. In Hindu mythology the owl is a vahan (mode of transport) of Lakshmi, goddess of wealth.
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Mottled Wood Owl
The Mottled Wood Owl (Strix ocellata) is a species of large owl endemic to India. They are found in gardens and thin deciduous forests adjacent to dry thorn forests or farmland. They are easily detected by their distinctive tremulous eerie calls at dawn and dusk. The characteristic call is a duet of the male and female while other notes include a low hoot and a screech. Their large size, lack of "ear" tufts and the concentric barring on the face make them easy to identify. This large owl lacks ear tufts and is mottled and vermiculated in reddish brown and white. The face disc is marked with fine concentric black and white barring. The sexes are alike. The chin is white. The eyelid is orange and the iris is dark brown. The tail is barred narrowly in brown and black. The concentric barring on the face and mottled crown separate it from the brown wood owl in southern India.
There are three subspecies recognized and there are no sharp demarcations in their distributions.
S. o. ocellata (Lesson, 1839) is found in southern India and is shorter winged in the males (333–338 mm) than grandis
S. o. grisescens Koelz, 1950 is found in northern India south of the Himalayas, west to Pakistan and east to Bihar. The markings are pale above and the males have a wing length of 338–346 mm
S. o. grandis Koelz, 1950 from Gujarat is differentiated by the wing length of the males (360–372 mm)
The mottled wood owl nominate subspecies S. o. ocellata is distributed in peninsular India. The subspecies S. o. grandis is distributed in the states of Gujarat, parts of Maharashtra and parts of Rajasthan. The subspecies S. o. grisescens is distributed in the states south of the base of Himalayas, including Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Jharkhand and Bihar.
The species is found in the plains in gardens and lightly wooded habitats. They roost in trees during the day choosing a branch with dense foliage. These owls roost during the day, usually in pairs. When disturbed they may fly in bright sunshine although they choose to shelter within a dense grove of trees. They produce an eerie chuhua-aa call with a quaver in the second note. This call is an antiphonal duet of the male and female. The male calls one or two times followed by the female's shorter and less tremulous version. The eerie call has been associated with ill omen in some parts of Kerala. The call is interpreted as povaa-aa (="let us go" in Malayalam) and likened to a summons to the spirit world.
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Brown Fish Owl
The Brown Fish Owl (Ketupa zeylonensis) is a fish owl species in the family known as typical owls, Strigidae. It is native from Turkey to South and Southeast Asia. Due its wide distribution it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. It inhabits forests and wooded wetlands. Of the four living species of fish owl, it is the most widely distributed, most common and best-studied. It occupies a range of over 7,000 km (4,300 mi). The brown fish owl has prominent ear tufts and rufous brown upperparts that are heavily streaked with black or dark brown. Its underparts are buffy-fulvous to whitish, with wavy dark brown streaks and finer brown barring. Its throat is white and conspicuously puffed. Its facial disk is indistinct, the bill dark and the iris golden yellow. Its featherless feet are yellow. Two-year old brown fish owls are somewhat paler than adults. Female and male differ slightly in size.
In body size, it ranges from 48 to 61 cm (19 to 24 in) with a wingspan from 125 to 140 cm (49 to 55 in). Its weight varies considerably, ranging from 1.1 to 2.5 kg (2.4 to 5.5 lb). Some of the variability is attributed to the range of sizes across the subspecies. Also, females are invariably at least somewhat larger than males and condition of birds is variable. It is slightly larger than the buffy fish owl with a darker brown hue.
The brown fish owl is an all-year resident throughout most tropical and subtropical parts of the Indian Subcontinent to Southeast Asia and adjoining regions. West of its main range, it is patchily distributed to the Levant (possibly extinct) and southern Asia Minor (recently rediscovered). The typical habitat of brown fish owls is forest and woodland bordering streams, lakes or rice fields. It inhabits mainly the lowlands, from open woodland to dense forest as well as in plantations; in the Himalayas foothills it ranges into submontane forest up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft) above mean sea level or so but not higher. It frequently spends the day in stands of bamboo or other large shady trees. They be found around water reservoirs, along canals, on the outskirts of villages and along sea coasts.
Note: This photo is from a long time back when I didn’t know the finer nuances of photo editing and noise removal.
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Eastern Barn Owl
The Eastern Barn Owl (Tyto javanica) is a medium-sized owl with a white ‘heart-shaped' facial disc. The body is sandy orange and light grey above, and white to cream underneath. Both the back and breast are evenly spotted with black. Young birds are similar to adults in plumage and females are slightly larger than males. It is usually considered a subspecies group and together with the American barn owl group, the western barn owl group, and sometimes the Andaman masked owl make up the barn owl. The cosmopolitan barn owl is recognized by most taxonomic authorities. A few (including the International Ornithologists' Union) separate them into distinct species. The eastern barn owl is native to Southeastern Asia and Australasia.
The eastern barn owl is nocturnal over most of its range, but in some Pacific islands, it also hunts by day. They specialise in hunting animals on the ground, and nearly all of their food consists of small mammals which they locate by sound, their hearing being very acute. They mate for life unless one of the pair is killed, after which a new pair bond may be formed. Breeding takes place at varying times of year according to locality, with a clutch, averaging about four eggs, being laid in a nest in a tree hollow, old building or fissure in a cliff. The female does all the incubation, and she and the young chicks are reliant on the male for food. When large numbers of small prey are readily available, barn owl populations can expand rapidly.
The eastern barn owl occurs on the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Australia, and many Pacific Islands. In general it is considered to be sedentary, and indeed many individuals, having taken up residence in a particular location, remain there even when better foraging areas nearby become vacant.
Note: This photo too is from a long time back when I didn’t know the finer nuances of photo editing and noise removal.
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A recent addition to this list is the Short-eared Owl. Read more about the beautiful short-eared and read about my experiences with it.
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