The Hindu Business Line : Wide-eyed worker

Do you know what a group of owls is called? Parliament! Do not ask me why. It was coined by some wise elderly British gentleman who had watched politicians’ behaviour!

Good luck!

Anyway, recently many women in Belgaum district of Karnataka suddenly turned birdwatchers. Spurred by a Kannada TV programme, which highlighted the belief that worshipping owls would bring luck during the month of aashada maasa, the onset of monsoons, women have suddenly taken a fancy for this bird usually detested in other parts of the country. Since it is difficult to spot an owl due to its nocturnal nature, owl idols have become a rage, with artisans and traders doing brisk business fuelled by high demand.

Why these owls?

Notoriously nocturnal, chiefly crepuscular (active mostly during dawn and dusk when twilight fades in and fades out), the spotted owlet is rarely seen. Found living in almost all parts of the country this small, fluffy, cute and plump bundle of feathers does a valuable service to mankind. It is an efficient hunter by night and can eradicate disease-spreading rats that infest unhygeinic surroundings. Man, the most callous polluter, ruthlessly contributes to air, water and solid contamination and this draws swarms of vermin. Fortunately, spotted owlets residing close to human habitation play a major role in protecting our health.

The spotted owlet is one of the 30-odd small and big owls found in our country and almost all of them are night-time rulers scanning the environs with their large glaring eyes that have a dash of bright yellow. The eyes can “peal” open even the darkest of the nights to find food in the form of rats, lizards, beetles, large insects and so on. They are specially equipped with stereoscopic visualisation for nocturnal ambush.

Usually found in pairs, the owlets spend the day snug-as-a-bug in tree hollows or abandoned houses and ruins.

Some even spend the day closely huddled together on tree branches thick with vegetation and concealed from human eye.

The spotted owlet merges with its surroundings, thanks to the brown markings on its body. After all, for the owls, camouflage and composure are the best weapons against predators. One finds them exceptionally comical when they close one eye and keep the other open to check the surroundings — it is almost like winking at a lovely young lady on the sly.

Noises they make

The spotted owlets do not hoot like some big owls but make some screeching, chattering and chuckling noises.

While they are hunting individually in the darkness, the calls are meant to keep in touch with their mates. But when it comes to talking to their offspring or protecting them from intruders they make a different sound which is like the hiss of a snake.

The best commotion they create is when two or more owlets get together and combine their calls into long drawn duets to announce their presence to the world but all the while they remaining invisible to the human eye.

While stalking for prey in the night they position themselves on tree stumps, milestones, telephone poles, compound walls or any suitable spot where they seem to merge with the structure and surprise their victim. From its launch pad the spotted owlet silently and smoothly goes for the kill.

The big eyes lock on the moving object and without blinking, aided by precision focus, the bird gets airborne.

The target has no chance of escape. The owlet flies off with the still alive rat in its beak, lands on a comfortable spot on a tree branch and then tears it apart by holding the hapless creature in its strong leg grip.

Taking care of young ones

If there is young brood to be fed, then the owlet will hunt again and again until the young ones are fed adequately. Besides like a majority of the birds, even the owls have a high metabolic rate and need to feed oftenMyths and mythology abound with stories about the nocturnal habits of the owls but their talents are often overlooked by man. One cannot help admiring their mesmerising and unblinking eyes, bobbing of the head, straight look if they are disturbed, a unique 180 degrees rotation of head without moving their body, and so on.

Because of these unusual attributes and attitudes, the owls have over the ages been associated with bad omens, but none of them are factual. So, the next time you see an owl, ogle back at the bird with gratitude for its service to the environment and mankind.