**Photography** The Indian Eagle Owl

The Indian Eagle Owl:

We must admire the power, beauty and perfection of these birds in flight and vow to protect their habitat. Here I share some of my pictures of the beautiful Eagle owl I found on one of my photography trips to Nanmangalam Reserve Forest - Located in the Heart of Chennai City. 

Diverse birds and nocturnal hunters, owls have fascinated us for years. They play interesting parts in movies and are a center of many fictional stories like Harry Potter.

            The Indian Eagle Owl is one such distinct species found in hilly and rocky regions and is often found in pairs. They are also known as the Rock eagle owl or the Bengal Eagle Owl. They are subspecies of the Large Horned owl found in India.

Appearance:

They are brown and grey and are have a white patch on their neck with tiny stripes. They are particularly large birds and have tufts on their heads. These owls are powerful predators. Their claws are sharp and the inner claws are the longest. They use these claws to tear up prey instead of swallowing it as a whole. Their prey mostly comprises of rats and birds. They feed on up to 61 g of prey every day.

Nesting:

The nesting season of these birds is from November to April. They lay three to four white eggs. The nest sites are carefully chosen beneath the ledge of a cliff or on bare soil or under a shelter. The reason being the mother reuses these nest sites each year. The babies hatch after 33 days and the tiny predators may live with the mother for nearly six months.

These birds are protective of their nests, they fly in zig zag patterns and may attack potential predators. Sadly, owing to their beauty and a number of superstitions, these birds are poached and killed by hunters.