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Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crurotarsi
Divisio: Archosauria
Cladus: Avemetatarsalia
Cladus: Ornithodira
Subtaxon: Dinosauromorpha
Cladus: Dinosauriformes
Cladus: Dracohors
Cladus: Dinosauria
Ordo: Saurischia
Cladus: Eusaurischia
Cladus: Theropoda
Cladus: Neotheropoda
Cladus: Averostra
Cladus: Tetanurae
Cladus: Avetheropoda
Cladus: Coelurosauria
Cladus: Tyrannoraptora
Cladus: Maniraptoromorpha
Cladus: Maniraptoriformes
Cladus: Maniraptora
Cladus: Pennaraptora
Cladus: Paraves
Cladus: Eumaniraptora
Cladus: Avialae
Infraclassis: Aves
Cladus: Euavialae
Cladus: Avebrevicauda
Cladus: Pygostylia
Cladus: Ornithothoraces
Cladus: Ornithuromorpha
Cladus: Carinatae
Parvclassis: Neornithes
Cohors: Neognathae
Cladus: Neoaves
Ordo: Strigiformes
Familia: Strigidae
Subfamilia: Striginae
Genus: Strix
Species: Strix ocellata
Subspecies: S. o. grandis - S. o. grisescens - S. o. ocellata
Name
Strix ocellata (Lesson, 1839)
References
Revue Zoologique, par la Société Cuvierienne 2 p. 289
Vernacular names
български: Индийска улулица
čeština: Puštík skvrnitý
dansk: Vatret Natugle
Deutsch: Mangokauz
English: Mottled Wood Owl
español: Cárabo ocelado
eesti: Salukakk
suomi: Intianpöllö
français: Chouette ocellée
magyar: Mangóbagoly
italiano: Allocco marezzato, Allocco ocellato
日本語: インドモリフクロウ [indomorifukurou]
മലയാളം: കാലൻകോഴി
Nederlands: Indische bosuil
norsk: Hinduugle
polski: Puszczyk falisty
русский: Манговая неясыть
slovenčina: Sova hájová
svenska: Vattrad skogsuggla
中文: 白領林鴞
The mottled wood owl (Strix ocellata) is a species of large owl found in 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.
Description
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.[3] The eyelid is orange and the iris is dark brown.[4] The tail is barred narrowly in brown and black.[5] The concentric barring on the face and mottled crown separate it from the brown wood owl in southern India.[6]
There are three subspecies recognized and there are no sharp demarcations in their distributions.[3]
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)
Distribution and habitat
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. An old specimen from Lahore is noted but no records in recent times from Pakistan. The distribution extends east to West Bengal.[6]
Behaviour and ecology
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.[6] The calling is more frequent in November when they begin to breed. Most Nests are found from February to April.[6] They also produce a single note hoot and a screech not unlike that of the barn owl. The nest is a tree hollow in which two to three white eggs are laid.[3] They feed on palm squirrels, mice and other small mammals.[4]
In culture
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.[7]
References
BirdLife International (2016). "Strix ocellata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22689066A93216851. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22689066A93216851.en. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
"Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
Ali, S & SD Ripley (1981). Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan. Volume 3 (2nd ed.). pp. 304–307.
Blanford WT (1895). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Birds. Volume 3. Taylor and Francis, London. pp. 277–278.
Baker, ECS (1927). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Birds. Volume 4 (2nd ed.). Taylor and Francis, London. pp. 402–403.
Rasmussen PC & JC Anderton (2005). Birds of South Asia. The Ripley Guide. Volume 2. Smithsonian Institution and Lynx Edicions. p. 242.
Vijayaraghavan, B (1986). "Owl beliefs". Newsletter for Birdwatchers. 38 (3): 54–55.
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