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The wise old owl, sentinel of the night

The complex, and often conflicting, relationship between humans and owls ranges from reverence to superstition
Short-Eared Owl. Photo by the writer
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Owls are among the most intriguing species in the world, with their presence deeply rooted in folklore and mythology. Their very appearance and nocturnal habits evoke a sense of mystery and wonder. With more than 200 owl species inhabiting every continent, except Antarctica, they have adapted to diverse ecosystems, from open grasslands and dense forests to urban areas and deserts.

Unlike other birds, owls have unique physiological features that help them adapt to their nocturnal lifestyle — silent, stealthy flight, a disc-like face and large, round, forward-facing eyes with binocular vision. Specialised wing feathers reduce turbulence and noise, allowing owls to approach their prey undetected.

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Owls also have extraordinary vision. Their forward-facing eyes are designed for depth perception and sensitivity to low light. Though their eyes are fixed in their sockets, owls can swivel their heads up to 270º, allowing them a nearly complete field of view. Their retinas have a higher concentration of rods than cones, enabling them to detect prey in near-total darkness.

Coupled with their exceptional vision and silent flight, owls have a keen sense of hearing, which is considered one of the most sensitive in the animal kingdom. The concave, disc-like shape of their face, formed by orbital feathers, acts as a dish antenna, collecting sound waves and funneling them toward their asymmetrically placed ears.

This remarkable feature allows owls to pinpoint the exact location of prey in the dark, making them highly efficient nocturnal hunters. Owls are carnivorous, primarily feeding on small birds, mammals, reptiles and insects. Prey is swallowed whole, and later, pellets of undigested parts such as bones, feathers and fur are regurgitated.

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India is home to 35 owl species, distributed across diverse habitats. While most are resident or local migrants, the Short-Eared Owl — named for the small ear tufts on its head — migrates to India in the winter from its breeding grounds in the Taiga and Tundra regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It also breeds in the corresponding latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere.

Populations from the Northern Hemisphere use the Central Asian Flyway, passing through countries like Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Unlike the flocks of songbirds on the same migration route, the Short-Eared Owl is a solitary traveller, covering more than 1,000 km in a single flight over land and oceans, with occasional halts to rest and hunt for food. It enters India through Rajasthan, Gujarat and Punjab before settling in the grasslands, scrublands, agricultural fields, and wetlands in North, West and Central India.

Since the Short-Eared Owl is a winter visitor to our country, we don’t observe its courtship display or nesting behaviour. However, in its breeding areas, it is a ground nester. The female excavates a shallow hollow in the ground, which she lines with stones and leaves. She can lay anywhere from five to 14 eggs at a time, which are solely incubated by her. During this period, if she needs to leave the nest for any reason, she defecates on the eggs, covering them with foul-smelling faeces, which helps keep predators at bay.

Although owls are generally nocturnal or crepuscular, the Short-Eared Owl is one of the few that can hunt during the day as well. Its silent, gliding flight low over the ground can come as a surprise to its quarry. Interestingly, it clips off the wings of its avian prey before consuming it and then spits out the pellets of undigested parts.

Asian Barred Owlet.

The complex, and often conflicting, relationship between humans and owls ranges from reverence to superstition. In many cultures, owls are revered as symbols of wisdom, knowledge, prosperity and good fortune. In others, they are believed to be harbingers of death and bad luck, foretelling doom.

Owls play a crucial role in the ecosystem as apex predators, keeping rodent populations in check and maintaining balance in their habitats. Unfortunately, like all other wild species, they face the dangers of losing the habitats that are essential to their survival.

The story of the owl is one of resilience and adaptation. Despite the challenges they face, owls continue to captivate the human imagination. Their haunting calls in the silence of the night and their mysterious behaviour bring endless fascination to those fortunate enough to encounter them.

— The writer is president of the Chandigarh Bird Club

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