Spotted owlet
Nikkor 200-500 VR/TC 14 III @700mm, f8, ISO 400, Nikon Z 6
In early morning sunrays; (sp. indica) regarded as superspecies, it’s closely related to our little owl (an early-stage subspecies). The population of our species declined about 65% during the last 25 years in the UK (BTO). Thorough studies from Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Switzerland reveal a decline in habitat productivity, caused by schematic opportunistic agricultural practices, is stressing the breeding birds (lack of systemwide regulations). The young get born, the pairs try to raise them, but the survival rate dropped to very low. The distinct characters that hunt a wide variety of insects and small vertebrates were once a much more common sight in Europe, where like in India, they have been part of our lives and folklore for millennia. We‘re among the lucky few who can still hear them from their windows.
Rajasthan bush