Nesting Ecology of Spotted Owlet (Athene brama) and Barn Owl (Tyto alba) in Agroecosystem of Punjab

Yashika Gaba, Nisha Vashishat

Abstract


The nesting behaviour of Spotted Owlet (Athene brama) and Barn Owl (Tyto alba) was observed at different sites of Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana and villages Baranhara and Ladhowal of district Ludhiana. Nesting of Barn Owl was also observed in field area of village Machaki Mal Singh of district Faridkot. The breeding season of Spotted Owlet was observed to start from January and continued until the end of May whereas in case of Barn Owl there was no definite season for breeding, it completed its breeding as per the availability of food and suitable weather conditions. The Spotted Owlet was reported to largely prefer the holes/cavities  in trees as their nesting sites. A total of 15 nests of Spotted Owlet were located out of which 10 nests were observed in PAU field area, 3 at Village Baranhara and 2 at Village Ladhowal. Mean nest height above the ground was 5.14±0.68 m at Punjab Agricultural University, 5.33±2.09 m at Baranhara and 3.75±0.25 m at Ladhowal. Most preferred tree utilized by Spotted Owlet for nesting was Dek tree. In case of Barn Owl only 2 nests were located, one at Village Ladhowal and second at Village Machaki Mal Singh. Both the nests were built in closed buildings with average height of 8 m above the ground.

Keywords


Breeding Season; Cavities; Nesting Sites; Clutch Size

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