Mottled wood owl

Appearance

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.

There are three subspecies recognized and there are no sharp demarcations in their distributions.
⤷  "S. o. ocellata" is found in southern India and is shorter winged in the males 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

Distribution

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.

Behavior

These owls roost in 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. The calling is more frequent in November when the begin to breed. Most Nests are found from February to April. 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. They feed on palm squirrels, mice and other small mammals.

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.These owls roost in 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. The calling is more frequent in November when the begin to breed. Most Nests are found from February to April. 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. They feed on palm squirrels, mice and other small mammals.

Cultural

The eerie call has been associated with ill omen in some parts of Kerala. The call is interpreted as "povaa-aa" and likened to a summons to the spirit world.