Brown Wood Owl

Strix leptogrammica

Family: Owls · Status: Very rare visitor · Size: 47–53 cm · Conservation: Least Concern

Range

Occurs from the Indian subcontinent and Sri Lanka across China, Indochina, the Thai-Malay Peninsula, and Indonesia including Sumatra, Borneo, and Java.

Identification

A medium-sized owl with a buffy-brown facial disc with a broad dark border around the face and eyes, dark-brown mantle, and buffy underparts with thin brownish bars and a brown breast. Juvenile is overall whitish-buff with a dark border around the face and eyes.

Habitat

Forests or any suitable wooded area.

Behaviour

Hunts small mammals, lizards, large insects, and birds; also reported to take small bats.