Walden’s Scops owl    Otus sunia modestus

Etymology:

• Otus : Latin word for eared Owl
• Sunia: Nepalese name Sunyakusial
• Modestus : Latin word for plain

Distribution in India: Endemic to Andaman Islands in India.

Description: Size of 17–21 cm; wingspan 50–53 cm; wt. of 75–95 g. It occurs in grey-brown colour. It has less patterned upperparts and stronger black streaking below, but is variable. The breast has dark shaft streaks and thin horizontal pencil-lines; eyes are yellow; bill is blackish-grey; feet is yellowish-grey or greyish-flesh colour.

Habitat: It is found in deciduous and mixed forest, even open evergreen forest, and found also in riparian woodland, orchards and parkland.

Food Habits: It eats insects and spiders and also small rodents and small birds. It is crepuscular, so it hunts shortly after sundown and shortly before sunrise. It prefers to feed along edges, in open, park-like woods, or in glades. It forages both from the forest floor and in the canopy. It hunts from perch, dropping down on to prey, but frequently also in flight.

Breeding Habits: They breed in April- May in Andaman. The nest is a hollow in a tree trunk or a hole in a wall, at very variable height above ground. They lay a clutch of 3–6 eggs. The incubation period is 24–25 days by both parents and both take care of the fledglings.