Forest Owlet

The forest owlet typically hunts from perches where it sits still and waits for prey. When perched, it flicks its tail from side to side rapidly and more excitedly when it chases prey. Lizards and skinks constitute nearly 60% of its prey, rodents 15%, birds 2% and the remaining invertebrates and frogs. When nesting, the male hunts and feeds the female at nest, and the female feeds the young. The nestlings fledge after 30–32 days. A study conducted in the forests of Madhya Pradesh revealed that the forest owlet is a generalist predator that consumes a variety of small mammals. The peak courtship season is in January to February during which time they are very responsive to call playback with a mixture of song and territorial calls. The forest owlet appears to be strongly diurnal although not very active after 10 in the morning, often hunting during daytime. On cold winter mornings, it basks on top of tall trees. Filial cannibalism by males has been observed.

The forest owlet was recorded in central India, and until 1997 was known from just seven specimens in museums collected in northern Maharashtra, and south-east Madhya Pradesh or western Odisha. The last record until then was based on a specimen claimed from Gujarat in 1914 by Richard Meinertzhagen. Searches in Gujarat had been futile until the species was rediscovered in November 1997 by a group of American ornithologists in the foothills of the Satpura Range, northeast of Bombay. The cause of the earlier failed searches was due to the resubmission of a stolen specimen with the falsification of locality data. The forest owlet was observed in Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat, and at a few locations in Melghat Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra. A survey in 2011 in non-protected areas of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh confirmed the presence of the species at two locations. In Maharashtra, a pair was observed (out of 7 pairs in 2004) in Toranmal Reserve Forest. In Madhya Pradesh, six individuals were observed in Khaknar. In Maharashtra, it was also reported to inhabit the forest ranges of Taloda and Khaknaar. All these places in central India harbour dense to open deciduous forests with Tectona grandis, Lagerstroemia parvifolia, Boswellia serrata and Lannea grandis trees. Nest cavities were found at a height of 5.0–8.0 m (16.4–26.2 feet) in trees like Soymida febrifuga. In most areas, the trees were too young and lacking cavities suitable for nesting. An individual was sighted in Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary in the Thane district in 2014. It was reported that human disturbed forests with more clearings within the forests were preferred for foraging. In Toranmal Reserve Forest, the forest owlet utilized areas with open canopy and dense undergrowth. In Gujarat, the forest owlet occurs in Purna Wildlife Sanctuary.

In 2018, the forest owlet was assessed as being endangered, with a population estimated of more than 250 mature individuals. It is threatened by loss and degradation of forests due to illegal logging, encroachment by humans, forest fires and construction of irrigation dams.