Bubo bubo (Linnaeus, 1758)

A very large, dramatic owl with upright ear-tufts, large, round, orange eyes, and folly feathered legs. The tufts were once thought to be horns, hence its previous name, the Great Homed Owl. Its upperparts are mottled dark brown and tawny-buff, whilst the underparts are paler and heavily streaked. It can be found in well-wooded but open country, and avoids heavy forest. In our area it is usually seen alone or in pairs in the bush-covered, rocky hills and ravines of Amnachala. It spends the day at rest under a bush or rocky outcrop, or in thickly foliaged trees, and becomes active at dusk. When it flies out at sunset it utters a deep, resounding double-hoot. It flies down from the Hill, with long glides on outstretched wings, to the surrounding cultivated areas where it can be seen hunting for its main prey, field rats and mice. It will also eat birds, reptiles, frogs and large insects. Like the Mottled Wood Owl it is of great economic value to fanners in killing these rodent pests, although as in most parts of India, large owls are considered to be birds of ill-omen. Its call is a deep, solemn bu-bo with bo drawn-out. Whilst it is not a loud call it has a penetrating and human-like quality.

They are iteroparous, seasonal breeder, dioecious (sexes separate), reproduce sexually, oviparous. The mating system is monogamous. They pair up during courtship as both sexes are solitary. By digging a shallow depression into the earth and and various clucking sounds, they advertise potential breeding sites. They form pair for life. If there is not enough food resources in the surrounding, will mate at a much slower rate and if they have sufficient habitats and plentiful food, their mating rate increases significantly. They build nest in crevices between rocks, sheltered cliff ledges, cave entrances, as well as abandoned nests of other large birds. They usually have one to four white eggs per year. This number depends on the food availiable in their area. They are incubated by the female alone and male kills prey and feeds his mate. After hatching of the owlets, they are brooded for about two weeks and in three weeks the young begin to feed and swallow by themselves. It begin to fly in about 60 days but for only a few meters. They leave the nest or are driven out in the fall.

They live for approximately 20 years in wild and live more than 60 years in captivity.

Total length 55-56 cm and has a wingspan of 131–188 cm (4 ft 4 in–6 ft 2 in).

They are keystone species. Their position is at the top of their food chain. It plays important role in keeping the number of rodents down in their various ecosystems. Absence of this species can cause the rodent population in a given area to grow significantly. They are also economically beneficial to farmers that want to keep the number of rodents down on their land.

They are carnivore ( Feeds on mammals from small rodents to hares and birds to the size of herons and buzzards, reptiles, frogs, fish and larger insects and other owl species in its range).

Inhabits well wooded but open and cultivated country.

They prefer many different kinds of habitats including wooded areas (coniferous forests), warm deserts, mountain ranges, and riverbeds. They also prefer to live in rocky landscapes mainly during nestling. They are also found in open areas that have few trees like farmlands and grasslands.

Stable

IUCN Redlist Status: Least Concern

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)

Population is declining mainly due to human activity like skiing, mountaineering, alpinism and other leisure activities often take people unknowingly near nests and also suffers from human persecution and poisoning from mercury seed-dressings, and deaths through road traffic, barbed wire and overhead . They are also effected by myxomatosis on rabbit populations. Nest-robbing on the species is also a threat for them.

Schedule IV