Himalayan Owl

The Himalayan owl, or Himalayan wood owl, is a medium-sized owl of the forests and mountain ranges of the Himalaya, Taiwan and Korea, 35–40 cm long. Its plumage is warm and tawny, with light brown, dark brown and white across the body, a light brown and white chest with vertical dark brown stripes, and darker wings and tail with white horizontal bands. It is nocturnal and rarely seen over most of its range, and few studies of its lifestyle have been made (Wikipedia, general species account).

During incubation males help by bringing food to the nesting female and by taking turns with the eggs. Tree cavities are its preferred breeding sites, and where trees and cavities are scarce it also uses man-made nest boxes. The Bengal tawny owl, the first of its subspecies to be discovered, was described by Edward Blyth in 1845. SoIB 2023 lists it as a resident and altitudinal migrant of forest that eats vertebrates and carrion, without a priority category (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).