Rare owlet believed extinct for 113 yrs thriving in Dang

VADODARA: The green belt of South Gujarat has turned into a treasure trove for wildlife enthusiasts.
The farmlands of Dang are home to as many as 82 forest owlets, the critically endangered species whose numbers are estimated to be just 200 to 400 individuals globally. What’s even more encouraging is the numbers of this bird, which is endemic to central Indian forests, may increase in Gujarat.
In September 2014, Jenis Patel and his team of volunteers from Voluntary Nature Conservancy (formerly known as Vidyanagar Nature Club) had first recorded the presence of forest owlet in Purna Wildlife Sanctuary, breaking the long-standing belief that the bird has vanished from the dense forest of Gujarat. For nearly 113 years, the forest owlet were considered to be extinct until researchers rediscovered it in 1997 in Toranmal Reserve Forest from Maharashtra. Later their presence was considered to be restricted to Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
“Melghat sanctuary of Maharashtra is considered to be the favourite habitat of forest owlet where 100 have been recorded. But it is possible that the sightings in Gujarat may outnumber those in Melghat because we have not just recorded presence of 82 individuals just in Dang but also their presence in adjoining Navsari and Valsad districts,” said Jenis, co-ordinator of the project.
The project has been sanctioned by the Rufford Foundation, UK and has received additional financial support from Bombay Natural History Society’s Indian Bird Conservation Network.
“In Navsari, presence of a one bird was recorded near Vansda on Vansda-Dharampur state highway while in Valsad, the too this owlet was seen in Dharampur forest. Both birds were spotted in agricultural landscape and they were quite friendly with locals. They come and perch on the trees even while farmers are working in their farms,” Dhaval Patel, VNC’s managing trustee .
“Unlike other 32 owl species, forest owlet are not nocturnal but active in day time as well,” said Dhaval, adding that the presence of such huge number of forest owlet in Gujarat is significant as earlier surveys had failed to establish their presence in the state.
“We have concluded that forest owlet perfer a habitat near human settlement in Gujarat. It is more like farmers’ owlet instead of forest owlet,” said Jenish.