CRITICALLY ENDANGERED SPECIES

(A) BIRDS:

2. The Forest Owlet (Heteroglaux blewitti)

They are an exclusive species to India and can only be found there in tiny areas of forest. In the 1880s, the bird was first discovered. After then, nobody brought up these birds at all for almost a century. The cavity is used by the forest owlets to hide their prey. It is known as cashing.

When not sighted for decades, posters were printed and Salim Ali, the premier ornithologist of India made a public appeal to look for the bird. After 113 long years, in 1997, the owlet was rediscovered and reappeared on the list of Indian birds.

CONSERVATION STATUS: Endangered

Habitat: Dry decidous forest

Distribution: South Madhya Pradesh, in north-west Maharashtra and north-central Maharashtra.

Threats: Logging operations, burning and cutting of trees damage roosting and nesting trees of the Forest Owlet.