Spot Bellied Eagle Owl

• 19 Jan 2023

Why in News?

Recently, Spot Bellied Eagle Owl (Bubo Nipalensis) was spotted for the first time in Seshachalam forest, and for the third time in Andhra Pradesh.

• It was sighted twice earlier at Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve(NSTR).

What is a Spot-bellied Eagle Owl?

• About:
  • The Spot-bellied Eagle Owl, also known as the Forest eagle-owl is a large owl species typically found in wooded areas, such as forests and rocky hillsides, and are known for their distinctive spots on their belly.
    • The spot-bellied eagle-owls are large, very powerful and bold predatory birds.
  • The bird makes a strange scream similar to humans and it is hence called the ‘Ghost of the Forest’ in India.
• Distribution:
  • These eagle-owl species are distributed in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, China, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.
• Prey:
  • They are known to prey on large birds and also on mammals like golden jackals, hares, civets and chevrotains.
• IUCN and CITES Status:
  • International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red list: "Least Concern".
  • CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) : Appendix II.

Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve

• The Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Sanctuary was declared officially in 1978 and has been recognized by the Project Tiger in 1983.
• Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve is the largest tiger reserve in India.
• In 1992, it was retitled as Rajiv Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary.
• The Tiger reserve is spread over 5 districts in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The area consists mostly of the Nallamala Hills.
• The multipurpose reservoirs- Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar are located in the reserve.
• The Krishna River cuts the basin of this reserve.

Source: TH