Rare owl spotted in Prayagraj
PRAYAGRAJ : In a first confirmed sighting, the extremely rare and endangered Mottled Wood Owl (Strix ocellata) has been clicked in Prayagraj.
Endemic to the forests of central India, Mottled Wood Owl has been listed as a ‘threatened’ species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List since 2016 and has been clicked by an ardent wildlife photographer and Sangam city’s laparoscopy and cancer surgeon Dr Arpit Bansal near the Harish-Chandra Research Institute (HRI) campus in Jhunsi.
Incidentally, the spotting of this rare owl comes close to the festival of Diwali during which many owls are illegally caught and sacrificed for black magic in the country.
“It was during the morning hours near HRI campus in Jhunsi recently when I spotted the Mottled Wood Owl. Owls are generally nocturnal, so it was a very thrilling moment for me to capture the Mottled Wood Owl during the daytime, even though the light was poor at that time due to clouds,” shared Dr Bansal, reliving the moment.
“Perched atop a branch, the owl was being bothered by the crows and other birds. Suddenly, it landed on the ground for hunting. And, there, I got my dream shot of the rare Mottled Wood Owl in Prayagraj,” added the doctor who is director of a 200bed Jeevan Jyoti Hospital in Prayagraj.
“Its spotting is very rare, so we also uploaded its details on ebird.org — an international online database of bird observations providing scientists, researchers and amateur naturalists with real-time data about bird distribution and abundance,” shared the 35-year-old medico.