Monday, June 17, 2013

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SPOTTED  OWLET
Photo: Spotted Owlet (View fullscreen for better image quality) Size : 21 cm Scientific name : Athene Brama The scientific name of this species is a unique combination - Athene or Athena is the Greek god of wisdom & Brahma is the Hindu god of creation. Range : South Asia from Iran across the Indian sub-continent (except Sri Lanka) to Vietnam. This bird hunts for small mammals & birds, reptiles, grasshoppers, etc., mainly at night. One can find this species roosting(resting/sleeping) during the day, on branches/ in hollows of old trees. The upper eye-lid of owls closes when they blink ;) , the lower closes up when they sleep. They also have a third eye-lid known as the nictitating membrane, which is a thin layer of tissue that closes diagonally across the eye in order to keep it clean. Since Owls have extraordinary night vision, it is often thought that they are blind in strong light. This is not true, because their pupils have a wide range of adjustment, allowing the right amount of light to strike the retina. As well as rods, all owls possess colour sensitive cones in their eyes. Although having fewer light sensitive cones than humans, they can probably detect colours to some extent. They are certainly not blind in daylight and some, like the Eagle Owl, have better day time vision than us. Our night time vision, however, is better than some diurnal Pygmy Owls. Tawny owls would appear to have the best developed eyes of all the owls, indeed of all vertebrates, being probably about 100 times more sensitive at low light levels than our own. Owls are unable to move their eyes in the sockets because of the size and tubular shape. To compensate, they have a deceptively long flexible neck which enables them to turn their head 270° in either direction horizontally and at least 90° vertically. One drawback is that owls are long sighted and cannot focus on objects which are too close. Tactile bristles around the beak partially compensate for this. Source : http://www.owls.org/Information/eyesight.htm & http://www.owlpages.com/articles.php?section=owl+physiology&title=vision After reading all that from above, why won't anyone think that owls are awesome? :) :) Spotted Owlet is very common locally. Daily, one individual gives out territorial calls from outside my bedroom window. :) Talk about handling lowlight without any tripod/bean bag/support...:p Canon 60d + Sigma APO 150-500mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM lens handheld Exif : Exposure Time : 1/90 F Number : 5.6 Exposure Program : Manual ISO : 1600 Subject Distance : 3.49 m Metering Mode : Multi-segment Flash : Off, Did not fire Focal Length : 313.0 mm White Balance : Manual Feel free to share this! :) To see more photos made by me(Vishwatej Pawar), go to : https://www.facebook.com/vishwatejrpawar/photos?collection_token=100003910344655%3A2305272732%3A5
The Spotted Owlet (Athene brama) is a small owl which breeds in tropical Asia from India to Southeast Asia. A common resident of open habitats including farmland and human habitation, it has adapted to living in cities. They roost in small groups in the hollows of trees or in cavities in rocks or buildings. It nests in a hole in a tree or building, laying 3–5 eggs. The species is absent from Sri Lanka, although the birds are found across the Palk Straits, just 30 kilometres away at Rameshwaram.
The Spotted Owlet is small (21 cm) and stocky. The upperparts are grey-brown, heavily spotted with white. The underparts are white, streaked with brown. The facial disc is pale and the iris is yellow. There is a white neckband and supercilium. Sexes are similar. The flight is deeply undulating. The nominate form is darker than the paler forms such as indica of drier regions. Advertisement



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