Spot-bellied Eagle Owl Reported in PTR

In June, 2024, Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR), Maharashtra, reported the first photographic record of a spot-bellied eagle owl.

Key Points

Also known as the forest eagle-owl is a large bird of prey with a formidable appearance.
This species is considered part of a super species with the barred eagle-owl (Ketupa sumatrana), which looks quite similar but is allopatric in distribution.
It is distributed through the Lower Himalayas from Kumaon east to Burma, thence to central Laos and central Vietnam.
They are found throughout the Indian subcontinent and peninsular Southeast Asia, reaching the southernmost limits of their range in Sri Lanka and 12 degrees north in southern Thailand.
It is an apex predator, feeding on a variety of prey, including rodents, small mammals, reptiles, and insects.

Conservation Status