Indian Eagle-Owl
<p><strong>Indian Eagle-Owl:</strong> <strong><em>How many owls can you spot?</em></strong></p>
<p>A well-camouflaged family of Indian Eagle-Owls <em>Bubo bengalensis</em> photographed in Pune, Maharashtra, seems intrigued by a wandering palm squirrel. Indian Eagle-Owls nest on bare rock faces, cliff ledges and sometimes even at ground-level, under bushes. Nesting sites are reused yearly, a habit that unfortunately helps poachers to locate them. Impressively large, Indian Eagle-Owls tend to be particularly singled out for punishment at the hands of the superstitious. Their deep, haunting call is irrationally believed by some to signify the imminent death of a family member. Another more cruel and senseless superstition suggests that starving and beating these owls will lead them to communicate in a human voice and reveal a hidden treasure! If owls had a human voice, we would only hear them lament about their misfortune of being born as an owl.</p>
<p>The Indian Eagle-Owl can be fiercely protective as experienced by this leopard (below) that became the target of the raptor’s sharp talons in Bera, Rajasthan. Perhaps threatened by the leopard’s proximity to its nest; the owl launched an aerial attack on the wild cat, forcing it to retreat!</p>
