Spotted Owlet
The tarsi is feathered, and therefore the toes bristled and dirty yellowish. Claws are dark horn, and soles yellowish.
[Note: above description is for race indica, nominate race brama is usually darker and smaller]
Size: Length 19-21cm. Wing length 143-171mm. Tail length 65-93mm. Weight 110-114g. Females are usually larger than males.
Habits: Flight is deeply undulating, consisting of a couple of rapid flaps followed by a glide with wings pressed to the body.
Voice: A harsh screeching chirurrr-chirurrr-chirurrr... followed by, or alternating with cheevak, cheevak, cheevak and a spread of other screeches and chuckles.
Hunting & Food: Also takes earthworms, lizards, mice and small birds. Usually hunts from a perch, pouncing on prey, but occasionally takes insects on the wing . Often uses street lamps as hunting bases, hawking insects interested in the lights.
Breeding: May also nest in cavities within the sides of ravines and earth cliffs when suitable trees are scarce. The nest is usually liked with grass and feathers.
2-3, sometimes up to 5 white, roundish oval eggs are laid (average 32.2 x 27.1mm), with incubation begining with the first egg. This causes the young to hatch asynchronously, leading to a substantial size difference within the brood.
Habitat: Open or semi-open country, including semi-desert. Within and on outskirts of villages and cultivation, groves with old trees, and ruins. This species avoids thick forest. Lives from sea-level to about 1400m.
Distribution: Southern Asia, from Iran to Vietnam.
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