Forest Owlet spotted in Ghats

MUMBAI, November 29, 2014
The Hindu

Researchers have spotted a critically endangered ‘Forest Owlet’ in Northern part of Western Ghats, 100 km from Mumbai.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List has deemed this bird to be at a high risk of extinction. Till now, Forest Owlet was thought to be endemic to Satpura mountain ranges in central India. Its discovery in the Ghats has renewed hopes of its survival.

Naturalist Sunil Laad, associated with the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), spotted the Forest Owlet in the Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary in Maharashtra’s Palghar district in October. On subsequent study tours, visitors and conservationists to Tansa were greeted with calls of the bird around 7 km from the location. A research paper authored by Sunil Laad and Rohidas Dagale, based on this finding, will shortly be published in the Journal of BNHS (JBNHS).

Rediscovered in 1997

For nearly 113 years, the Forest Owlet was considered to be extinct, until researchers rediscovered it in 1997 in Toranmal Reserve Forest near Shahada in the Satpura in the State’s Nandurbar District.

The place where it was located is a dry deciduous forest, with open patches, which is very similar to the typical Forest Owlet habitat in the Satpura. However, this location in Tansa is partially degraded due to human disturbances.

Scientists working on Forest Owlet too are excited over the discovery. “This clearly highlights the need to conserve crucial avian habitats such as Tansa and other areas which are potential homes of the Forest Owlet,” said ornithologist Girish Jathar.