Spot-Bellied Eagle Owl

Description

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Context: A wildlife team recently stumbled upon a spot-bellied eagle owl (Bubo Nipalensis) for the first time in the Seshachalam forest, and for the third time in Andhra Pradesh

Details:

The bird’s habitat, found on large trees in thick forests, is spread across the Indian subcontinent.
But it was sighted only twice in the State earlier, and both the times it was at Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR).

About:

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.
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.
The team also spotted a ‘Mottled wood owl’ (Strix Ocellata).
Though both are labelled as ‘least concern’ in terms of population stability, the development assumes significance in view of their maiden sighting in the verdant Seshachalam ranges.