From Shomi Gupta

Brown Wood Owl (Strix leptogrammica), May 2024, Sattal (Uttrakhand).

Though currently listed as Least Concern, the Brown Wood Owl is uncommon and increasingly rare due to the continuous destruction of good forest across its range.

An adorable chocolate brown face, with two innocent, curious eyes, peeps out from the branch of a leafless tree, against a hillside backdrop adorned with dried, fallen leaves, as if to greet me. Another one from the pair flew behind.

There are about 14 recognized subspecies, with a widespread range and notable variation in plumage. They feed mainly on small mammals, especially rodents, but also prey on birds, reptiles, insects, and have even been reported to catch fish.

A bird of the heavy montane forest, usually dense and undisturbed. Yet this forest was not only scorched by the harsh summer but also parched by wildfire, perhaps due to human interference. The curious owl seems to ask me whether I can do something to save its only home.