Rare owls start coming back to Delhi as favourable conditions return

NEW DELHI: The increasing pollution level in the national capital is a bane not only for human beings but also for some rare species of owls that had abandoned their habitat and migrated to other regions after not finding favorable conditions for living here.

Delhi used to be one of the few cities in India where 10 rare species of owls used to have their habitat. Now, following an initiative by the forest department to create favorable conditions for their return, rare species of owls have started coming back to Delhi.

The return of the brown hawk, the oriental scops and the pallid scops to the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary after almost 70 years is exciting bird watchers.

According to experts, pallid scops were among the first to be sighted in the region in 2016. Then the brown hawk was sighted in December 2017, and the oriental scops in February this year.The campaign to ensure the return of owls to Delhi began after the dusky-eagle owl was first sighted in the 7,000-acre Asola sanctuary in 2014.

Owls usually are sighted only in winters. Most of them make their home in the hollows of trees, but others may roost in an abandoned building or a rocky area around Delhi.

This summer, a night-time programme is being run in forest areas around Delhi to understand whether owls go into hibernation when the weather is hot. If it is found to be so, it would help in understanding the traits of owls.

Four rare species—Indian eagle, dusky eagle, brown fish and short-eared owl—have been sighted. Previously, only three species—brown owl, Indian scops and spotted owlet—were found in Delhi, around parks and rocky areas near the Yamuna riverbed.

Rare species of Owls

• Oriental scops
• Pallid scops
• Indian eagle
• Dusky eagle
• Brown fish
• Short-eared owl
• Spotted owlet