Distribution, behavior and nesting habitat of large and small owls in Chaurakund range, Melghat forests, Amravati district, Maharashtra
Student name: Ms Mahasweta Patnaik
Guide: Dr Sudipta Chatterjee
Year of completion: 2018
Host Organisation: Wildlife Research and Conservation Society, Pune
Supervisor (Host Organisation): Dr Prachi Mehta
Abstract: The Melghat Tiger Reserve is located in Satpura Hill Ranges of Central India. The Melghat forest is well known for its rich biodiversity providing a safe haven for various plants and animals. The forest type found here is Dry Deciduous Teak dominant. My work consisted of studying the distribution, behavior and nesting habitats of large and small owls in the study area. My study area was Chaurakund range in Sipna Division of the Tiger Reserve. I examined the distribution of eight owl species namely Indian Eagle Owl, Brown Fish Owl, Mottled Wood Owl, Barn Owl, Indian Scops Owl, Forest owlet, Spotted Owlet and Jungle Owlet in the study area through route surveys. I could observe 2 nests of each owl species during the study period. I have been able to spend 312 hours on studying the behavior of each owl species in the area. Based on my study, it appears that he Forest Owlet and Jungle Owlet are widely distributed in the area. It was also observed that some species were found to be sharing a close ecological niche but every species has its unique requirements to inhabit a location. The study enabled us to understand the activities of all the Owl species and also gave us an insight on how these owl species coexist and interact with other bird species. This study is a preliminary effort to understand the coexistence of eight owl species found in the area and also provides us a future direction to study the ecological niche they share as well as the sympatric behavior.
Key words: Melghat Tiger Reserve, Chaurakund Range, Owl Distribution, Nesting Habitat, Owl Behavior.
