Sighting of rare and endangered forest owlet in MP's cheetah territory delights officials

Sheopur, Feb 27 (PTI) A rare and endangered forest owlet has been sighted in Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh just ahead of the arrival of the third batch of cheetahs from Africa, which an official on Friday claimed was "a significant development in the field of ornithology".

Eight cheetahs, part of an ambitious reintroduction programme after the big cats went extinct in the country nearly seven decades ago, will arrive at KNP from Botswana in the southern part of Africa on Saturday.

The discovery of the forest owlet is important as the bird is considered one of the world's rarest raptors and has potential ecological implications for habitat management associated with Project Cheetah, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (wildlife) Subharanjan Sen told PTI.

"This is a significant development in the field of ornithology. The endangered forest owlet (Athene blewitti) has been recorded for the first time in KNP," Sen pointed out.

The recent sighting indicates that the park has become an attractive habitat for endangered raptor species following the launch of the cheetah conservation programme.

"This also suggests that conservation efforts aimed at cheetahs are contributing to broader ecosystem recovery," the official asserted.

The rare owl was first spotted by Labh Yadav, a local tourism operator, during a routine field visit in the Parond beat of the KNP, he said.

"Foresters took note of the sighting due to the species' extremely limited distribution and conservation status. Based on key identification features, Vivek Patel of Pune-based Wildlife Research and Conservation Society confirmed the species on the spot, making it the first authenticated record of the forest owlet in Kuno," Sen informed.

Unlike most owls, the forest owlet is primarily diurnal and is most active between 6 am and 10 am. It is often seen perched on branches of tall trees even in harsh sunlight, Sen said.

The bird was endemic to Central India and was first described in 1872, but was believed to have gone extinct after 1884.

It was rediscovered in 1997 in Maharashtra's Nandurbar district, a development that attracted global attention from ornithologists, officials said.

The species is currently found in fragmented forest habitats in parts of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat, they added.

In Madhya Pradesh, it was earlier recorded only in eastern Khandwa, Burhanpur and Betul districts, the officials said.

"The forest owlet is listed as 'Endangered' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, with its global adult population estimated between 250 and 999. More surveys are needed to understand its distribution in the state," an official said. PTI LAL BNM