The pretty pigmy owlet -(Athene Brodiei) is often found in bushes. It is a diminutive little creature. Its call is measured, and composed of two notes frequently repeated. Its egg is white, and generally laid in the hollow of a tree, without any preparation whatever.
The typical owls, of which the barn owl of Europe, Strix flammea, is the type, are nocturnal in their habits, and are often called screech owls from the unearthly screechings of their call.
The Indian screech owl, S. Javanica, de WurmIL, of a pale-yellow buff colour, is found throughout Ceylon, India, Burma, and Malayana. It differs somewhat from the barn owl of Europe. It roosts during the day, comes forth at dusk, and hunts entirely at night, living on rats, mice, shrews, etc. It breeds. in holes of trees and buildings. Its names, Karaya, Karail, Burl churi, HIND., Chaao pitta, TEL., and Chaao-kuraui, TAU., mean evil bird, and death bird.
The grass ow], St. candida, Ticket?, above of a tawny yellow colour, is found sparingly throughout the greater part of India. It lives almost exclusively in long grass, from which it rises heavily, flies a short distance, and drops suddenly into the grass.
Stria Rosenbergii and S. Javanica are owls of the Malay Archipelago, and the latter is in all the islands up to Lombok.
The bay or chesnut-coloured screech ow], the Phodilus badius, Horsfield, occurs in Nepal, Sikkim, Burma, Malayana, and the E. Archipelago. The natives believe it is on good terms with the tiger.
The sub-family Syrniinm comprise the hooting owls. They are birds of rather large size, living in woods and groves, and nocturnal in their habits. The Syrnium Indrani, Sykes, the brown wood owl, is 19 to 21 inches long, is found in Ceylon, throughout British India, Burma, and Ilalayana. It is of nocturnal habits. It is the devil bird of Ceylon.
The Nepal brown wood owl (Syrnium Newarense, Hodgson), 2 feet long, occurs in Ceylon, S. India, Central Nepal, N.W. Himalaya, and the Malayan Peninsula.
The mottled wood owl is the very beautiful plumaged Syrnium Sinense, Lathan', of a rich tawny colour, found in wild wooded districts throughout India, but not yet found in Ceylon and Burma. It has a loud, harsh, dissonant hoot.
Syrnium seloputo, of Burma and Malaya, has even more beautiful plumage.
Syrnium leptogrammica, Tema., is from Borneo. Syrnium nivicolum, Hodgson, is the Himalayan wood owl, mottled dark-brown owl fulvus. It is found above 7000 feet up to the snow-line in the Hima laya.
The Asioninm has the genus Otus.
Otus vulgaris, Fleming, the long-eared owl of Europe, Afghanistan, Kashmir, and Nepal, frequents woods, and feeds on mice, moles, and beetles.
Otus brachyotus, Gmelin, is the short-eared owl of great part of N. America, and over all the old world ; in India is found in long grass, hunting chiefly at night, though it flies well by day. In ' India it is migratory, coming in at the beginning 1 of the cold weather, and leaving about March. Its call is a double or treble hoot, not unlike that of the hoopoe.
The sub-family Buboninm comprises the genera Urrua, Huhua, Ketupa, Ephialtes, and Scops, the great horned owls, or eagle owls, also the stops owls.
Urrua Bengalensis, Franklin, the rock horned owl, 22 inches long, is found throughout Afghanistan, India, and Ceylon, wherever it can get rats, birds, lizards, snakes, crabs, and large insects, generally in broken rocky ground, but also in dense groves or gardens. Its cry, durgoon, durgoon, is a loud solemn hoot.
Urrua Coromanda, Lahant, is the dusky horned owl, 22 inches long, found in all India. It frequents thick groves and forest jungle.
Huhua Nepalensis, Hodgson, the forest eagle owl, of a dark-brown colour, and 22 inches long, occurs in Nepal, S. India, and Malayana.
Ketupa Ceylonensis, Omelin, the brown fish owl, 21 to 23 inches long, is found throughout Ceylon, India, Burma, perhaps to China, frequenting forests, groves, and gardens, coming forth at dusk to feed, generally making its way to a tank, brook, or river, occasionally uttering its dismal cry, a repulsive laugh like haw-haw, haw-ho. It is said to kill even cats.
Ketupa flavipes, Hodgson, the tawny fish owl, is con fined to the Himalaya. It is constantly found on the banks of rivers, and flies well by day.
Ketupa Javanensis, Lesson, and K. Ceylongnsis, extend from Ceylon and Arakan to Java.
Ephialtes pennatus, Hodgson, the Indian scope owl, is supposed by some to be the S. zorca of Europe. It is found throughout India and Ceylon, the Hima laya, Burma, and China.
Ephialtes Lempigi, Horsfceld, is the large scope owl of all India, Ceylon, Burma, Malayana, and China, found in forests.
Scope rufescens, Horefield, a large owl of Malayana, Japan, Celebes, and Philippines.
Scops gymnopodus, Kaup, is said to be from India.
The sub-family Syrniinm has the genera Athene, Glaucidium, Ninox, Syruium.
Athene brama, Temm., the spotted owlet of Ceylon, India, Panjab, Burma, Persia, and all Asia, is found in dense forests. It is of an earthy grey-brown colour, each feather with a white spot. It is 8 or 9 inches long.
Athene radiata, Tickell, the jungle owlet of all India ; is probably the Athene cuculoides, Philips, of N.W. Provinces.
Athene Malabarica, Myth., the Malabar owlet, 8 inches long, of Travancore, Cochin, and S. Provinces of Malabar.
Athene castanoptera, Horsfield, Malayana.
Athene castanopus, Blyth, Ceylon.
Athene cuculoides, Vigors, the large barred owlet, 91 or 101 inches long, occurs in the Himalaya, Pan jab, Assam, Arakan, Tenasserim to China. It feeds on mice, rats, beetles.
Glaucidium Brodiei, Burton, the collared pigmy owlet, is found at from 3000 to 4000 feet throughout the Himalaya. It is 6i inches long.
Ninox scutellatus, Raft., the brown hawk owl, 12 inches long, is found in the wooded parts of all India, extending into Burma, Malayana, China, and Japan • also said to occur in Madagascar. It frequents the skirts of the thick forests also.
Ninox Borneensis, Schlegel, and N. Japonica, Schlegel, of Borneo and Japan.
—Jerdon's Birds of India ; White's Nat. Hist. of Selborne ; Tennant's Nat. Hist. Ceylon.