A Peek into Endemic Owls of Andaman
If the colourful endemic birds of Andaman has greeted you, then I am sure that piercing calls of owls will be echoing in your ears during the tour of Andaman and Little Andaman. As sunset sets in, dark explorations in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands reveal native owls and a cast of interesting characters. Owl-spotting or “owling” has quickly turned into our favourite after-hours adventure. The islands, known for their high levels of endemism, host six owl species found nowhere else in the world.During a endemic birding tour, have made an attempt to spot them in their natural habitats.
Vishwanath Radhakrishna 
Unlike other species of birds with colurful plumage, owls however have been fascinating to me. Be it because of their distinctive black and white complextion, piercing calls, enigmatic eyes & nocturnal behaviour !
Owls in the remote islands of Andaman was not an exemption.The day walks in the island was a bit tiring because of extreme humidity. As the sun set, we felt a bit refreshed and were eager to meet the hooters at their roosting grounds.
Indeed I have a inclination and great admiration for Owls. Whenever I hear an eerie hooting call, I can't resist but stop and scour for it in dark. Whether I spot it or not I am sure the owl would look at me, the curious eyes of the little creature gives me a wild look !
Owls are one of the few birds that look you eye to eye, even give you a stare without blinking its eyes. I somehow get a feeling that these innocent creatures are trying to communicate with me. So, it is no surprise that wherever I go birding, I love to spend time at night looking for owls.
The islands of Andaman & Nicobar are home to 6 species of Owls which are endemic to the place, meaning that these species are not found anywhere else but in Andamans. I surely wanted to see and photograph most of them during my stay there.
We would step out every night to explore the regular haunts of the Owls, keenly looking out for them. A big applause for Shakti, a truly exceptional bird guide from Andaman, a wonderful human being !
In the dark of the night, as we strolled along the roads near Chidiya Tapu, a well known birding location in Port Blair, the first Owl we encountered was the Humes Owl.
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The next one that we focused on was the Andaman Scops Owl. A beautiful, little fella. This owl was a bit of a challenge to spot and photograph. The individuals that we encountered weren’t very cooperative and would sit in the high canopies, completely silent and carefully tracking our movements from a distance. It took us a couple of visits and exploring different sets of locations to manage a decent shot of this Owl.
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Andaman Barn Owls, also known as the Andaman Masked Owls are another majestic species of Owls endemic to Andamans. A species which looks strikingly different from the Barn Owls found on the mainland. This was the only species of Owl that I could see in little Andamans and photograph at night after a multiple of visits only. That in itself was quite an amazing experience.
Owls are truly fascinating creatures. Unfortunately there are a lot of unjustified bad myths about them which lead to them being misunderstood, as bad omen , feared and persecuted by people. I firmly believe that this attitude will definitely change and I sincerely reform from their views.
Hope you enjoyed this owly, owly post. Until next time, ciao !
