Site Habitat: Abandoned house around human habitation.

After searching for over four days in both mainland Andamans and then Little Andaman, we had almost lost hope of seeing this species, when an unexpected turn of events led to one of our most memorable sightings.

A man following on a bicycle stopped us and inquired, whether we are interested to see owls. (He had witnessed our failed owling session the previous nights.) He informed us that there were baby owls in an abandoned house, not very far from there and that the chicks were big and white. It was not difficult for us to guess that these could potentially be Andaman Barn Owls.

After reaching the site, we first surveyed the house wit respect to the parents entry and exit. While the person, opened the door, the adult owls flew from the rear side of the house and settled on the coconut trees giving all of us good views. We decided not to photograph the chicks, as they may get disturbed. We educated the locals (who had decided to shoo away the owls) on the importance and usefulness of owls in their locality. (The Barn Owls feed largely on mice.)

Apparently, the huge cultivation of Palm trees (for palm oil) on the island attracts large numbers of rodents (mice), and the Andaman Barn Owls thrive here. - AS