On the Brink extinction 2: The Forest Owlet

The Forest Owlet

Athene (Heteroglaux) blewitti
Best seen at: Withheld, tourism is a threat
Status: Critically Endangered. Schedule I

THE ENCYCLOPAEDIA of Vanished Species records the Forest Owlet as “extinct” — the last genuine record dating back to 1884. In fact, this ‘mystery’ bird is known only from seven dead specimens collected in India from 1872 to 1884.

But history was rewritten, and extinction was not forever. It was rediscovered by American ornithologists, a lone bird perched on a dry branch, over a century later in the Satpuras in Maharashtra on November 25, 1997. Extensive surveys revealed that under 100 of these birds live today across the Satpura landscape.

The owlet is back with us but we don’t seem concerned. The gravest threats the Blewetti faces is destruction of habitat. Intense cultivation, illegal logging (even by the forest department), overgrazing, and forest fires have put immense pressure on its habitat. Taloda forest, where the maximum specimens were collected in the past, has been cleared for the oustees of the Sardar Sarovar project. Shahda had five nesting trees. Two of these have been cut. The owlet is also a victim of superstitions — locals believe owl eggs bring luck in gambling. Protecting the Satpura forests — which is also the catchment of the rivers Narmada and Tapi — is the most important strategy to save the owlet.

Otherwise, the Forest Owlet will be condemned to a second death.

PRERNA SINGH BINDRA