Mottled Wood Owl

Latin Name: 
Strix ocellata
Size: 
48cm
Description: 

Sexes alike. Tawny-grey above, profusely mottled with black, white and buff; whitish facial disc, with narrow chocolate-black barrings forming concentric circles; white spots on crown , nape; whitish throat; buffy below, barred black. Solitary or in pairs; nocturnal, spends day in dense foliage of large trees; leaves roost after sunset.

Habitat: 
Forests, orchards, vicinity of habitation, cultivation.
Distribution: 
All India, from Himalayan foothills south; absent in arid NW parts and much of NE.
Call: 
Call Description: 
Loud, hooting note.
National Status: