- Brown Hawk Owl
Taxobox
name = Brown Hawk Owl
image_caption = atSamsing inDarjeeling district ofWest Bengal ,India .
status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1
regnum =Animal ia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo =Strigiformes
familia =Strigidae
genus = "Ninox "
species = "N. scutulata"
binomial = "Ninox scutulata"
binomial_authority = Raffles, 1822The Brown Hawk Owl, "Ninox scutulata", is an
owl which is a resident breeder in south Asia fromIndia andSri Lanka east to westernIndonesia and southChina .This species is a part of the larger grouping of owls known as
typical owl s, Strigidae, which contains most species of owl. The other grouping is thebarn owl s, Tytonidae.Brown Hawk Owl is a resident breeder in most of tropical south
Asia from theMiddle East to southChina . Its habitat is well-wooded country and forest. It lays three to five eggs in a tree hole.The Brown Hawk Owl is a medium-sized (32cm) owl with a hawk-like shape due to its long tail and lack of a distinct facial disk. The upperparts are dark brown, with a barred tail. The underparts are whitish with reddish-brown streaking, although the
subspecies found in theAndaman Islands has dark brown underparts. The tail is barred. The eyes are large and yellow. Sexes are similar.This species is very nocturnal but it can often be located by the small birds that mob it while it is roosting in a tree. It feeds mainly on large insects, frogs, lizards, small birds, and mice. The call is a repeated low soft, musical "oo-uk ...ooo-uk..." which may be heard at dusk and dawn.
There is only one record of the Brown Hawk Owl in the western hemisphere, an individual photographed on St. Paul Island, Alaska, on August 27, 2007. Here's a link to a first-hand account of that event, with a photo: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/news/BrownHawkOwl.html
References
* Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
* "Birds of India" by Grimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp, ISBN 0-691-04910-6
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