Mottled Wood Owl (Strix ocellata)

Mottled Wood Owl

[order] STRIGIFORMES | [family] Strigidae | [latin] Strix ocellata | [authority] Lesson, 1839 | [UK] Mottled Wood Owl | [FR] Chouette ocellee | [DE] Mangokauz | [ES] Carabo Ocelado | [NL] Indische Bosuil

Subspecies

Monotypic species

Genus

Members of the genus Strix are the wood owls. They are medium to large owls, having a large, rounded head and no ear-tufts. The comparatively large eyes range from yellow through to dark brown. Colouring is generally designed fro camouflage in woodland, and a number of the member of this genus have colour phases. There are 20 species scattered practically throughout the globe with the exception of Australasia, the South Pacific and Madagascar, where the genus Ninox takes its place. There being no clear generic differences between Strix and Ciccaba genera, and DNA evidence suggesting very close relationships, many authorities now merge the latter into the former.

Physical charateristics

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

Listen to the sound of Mottled Wood Owl

[audio:http://www.planetofbirds.com/MASTER/STRIGIFORMES/Strigidae/sounds/Mottled Wood Owl.mp3]

Copyright remark: Most sounds derived from xeno-canto


wingspan min.: 0 cm wingspan max.: 0 cm
size min.: 40 cm size max.: 48 cm
incubation min.: 0 days incubation max.: 0 days
fledging min.: 0 days fledging max.: 0 days
broods: 0   eggs min.: 2  
      eggs max.: 3  

Range

Oriental Region : India, Burma

Habitat

The species is found in the plains in gardens and lightly wooded habitats.

Reproduction

The unlined nest is an often natural tree hollow in which 2 and seldomly 3 white eggs are laid

Feeding habits

They feed on palm squirrels, mice and other small mammals

Video Mottled Wood Owl

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ql_E6R_yLOA

copyright: Martin Kennewell


Conservation

This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). The population trend appears to be stable, and hence the species does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size has not been quantified, but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
Mottled Wood Owl status Least Concern

Migration

Resident

Distribution map

Mottled Wood Owl distribution range map

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