Forest Owlet (Athene blewitti)

Category: Environment & Endangered Species | GS Paper III

SEO Title: Forest Owlet: Habitat, IUCN Status, Distribution and Conservation Challenges

UPSC Notes

The Forest Owlet is a small, day-active owl endemic to central India and associated with dry deciduous forest habitats.

  • Scientific name: Athene blewitti.

  • Distribution: Central Indian regions of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh, as described in the source.

  • Rediscovery: 1997, after more than a century without confirmed records; it was last collected in 1884.

  • Habitat: Dry deciduous forests, especially teak forests.

  • Nesting: Uses cavities in mature trees.

  • IUCN status: Endangered, according to the source.

  • Legal protection: Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, as listed in the source.

  • Threats: Deforestation, removal of old cavity-bearing trees and fragmentation of small populations.

Key Pointers for Prelims

  • Forest Owlet is diurnal, unlike many owl species.

  • It is endemic to India.

  • Forest degradation and loss of nesting trees are major threats.

  • Distinguish its IUCN status from its domestic legal protection.