“On a cycling trip in Southern Kedah, Malaysia, along the long coastal bund road, we found this Barn Owl (Tyto alba) gripping tightly on the live cables (left, below). I could see some flies but no foul smell, probably due to the strong breeze from the sea as this corpse was high above.

“I personally had encountered live wire and the moment I touched, it ‘boomed’ loudly with flying sparks and it actually repulsed me. Not sure why this fated owl still held on the cable. If the owl has linked up the circuit (+ve & -ve) then I am sure it would be charcoal black. The photos only showed the black-burnt beak area. I have seen a whole monkey burnt to charcoal when caught on such live cables.

“Another point I would like to note is that modern live cables near housing areas are now seen to be coated. This one still has not changed. Do you think this issue should be highlighted to the responsible utility company? What about other countries, anyone can comment about live cables in your country and perhaps fatalities on wildlife? It would be interesting to learn about this live cables issue in conservation of wildlife.”

Forest Ang
10th July 2010

Samson Tan photographed a Spotted Wood Owl (Strix seloputo) preening and stretching during the day. As owls are nocturnal creatures, he is naturally puzzled as to why the owl was not sleeping during the day. So he wants to know whether nocturnal birds indulge in comfort behaviour during the day or night?

Well, owls are nocturnal birds. They are active after dark, functioning best then, especially hunting prey. But this does not mean that they cannot see during the day. In fact should a prey passes by below its perch, you can rest assured that the owl will fly down and grab it. And during the breeding season, many owls hunt during the day to feed their young.

An earlier post reports a Spotted Wood Owl sunning itself in the middle of the day. Another reports a Buffy Fish Owl (Ketupa ketupu) bathing during the day. Similarly a pair of Spotted Wood Owls were reported bathing during the day. Although we are sure they do not sun themselves during the night, we are sure they also bathe at night. But so far, no one has been going around trying to spy on owls bathing in the dark.

Comfort behaviour like preening keeps the feathers in top form. Wing- and leg-stretching serve to keep the bird’s circulatory and muscular systems in working order. These are usually done just before a period of foraging or between foraging, thus mostly at night. An earlier post describes a Spotted Wood Owl indulging in comfort behaviour during the daylight hours. Again, we are sure they also do so during the night – except we have no images to proof it.

All images by Samson Tan.

In early April 2010, KC Tsang made a video of a sleepy juvenile Buffy Fish Owl (Ketupa ketupu) roosting on its perch (left). It was around 1530 hours and the owl was preening its upper feathers. During the short period it was preening, the eyes showed a combination of opening, closing and movements of the nictitating membrane.

The images below best illustrate this: left shows both eyes closed, centre shows one eye about to close while the other already closed and right shows one eye fully open while the other has the upper eyelid blinking and the nictitating membrane over it.

The video provides an opportunity to study the opening and closing of the eyes. As typical of birds, closing of the eyes involves the lower eyelids. They move upwards to cover the eyes. The images below clearly illustrate the stages of closing of the right eye. All the time the left eye remains open.

Similarly, the video clearly shows the appearance of the nictitating membrane as the upper eyelid is flicked downwards. The nictitating membrane appears from the inner upper corner of the eye to move diagonally towards the lower outer corner. The images below illustrate the stages in the right eye.

The bird’s eye has an upper and a lower eyelid as well as a nictitating membrane or third eyelid. According to Evans & Heiser (2004), this membrane “moves sideways across the eye, at right angles to the regular eyelids, cleaning the eye’s surface and keeping it moist.” In an earlier post we showed the nictitating membrane moving sideways in the case of the Plaintive Cuckoo (Cacomantis merulinus). However, in Buffer Fish Owl, the membrane moves diagonally, as also shown in an image posted earlier. Long (1998) has confirmed this, describing the movement “from the inside corner diagonally to the outside corner…” Furthermore, Long’s (1998) take on the eyelids… “The upper eyelids are used in blinking movements, which helps clean the eyes. The lower eyelids are pulled up over the eyes during sleep.”

Images are video grabs copyright of KC Tsang. The video can be viewed HERE.

References:
1. Evans, H. E. & J. B. Heiser, 2004. What’s inside: Anatomy and physiology. In: Podulka, S., R. W. Rohrbaugh Jr & R. Bonney (eds.), Handbook of bird biology. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY. Pp. 4.1-4.162.
2. Long, K., 1998. Owls: A wildlife handbook. Johnson Books, Boulder. 181 pp.

Richard Lim’s images of a spotted Wood Owl (Strix seloputo) sunning (left) raise two questions: do owls sun themselves and in the middle of the day at that.

According to Mark et al. (1999), although owls are considered nocturnal, not all species are active only during the night. There are species that hunt during the day and even nocturnal species will catch a prey if it happens to pass below its perch. However, Strix spp., of which the Spotted Wood Owl is one, are by and large nocturnal.

Mark et al. (1999) further state that owls indulge in the range of comfort activities observed in other groups of birds. Preening, scratching, dusting, stretching and even bathing can take place during the night, although it has been reported that bathing also occurs during the day. As for sunning, this can only take place in the day.

Richard’s observation of the Spotted Wood Owl sunning at noon is a valuable record.

Reference:
Marks, J. S., R. J. Cannings & H. Mikkola, 1999. Family Strigidae (Typical Owls). In: del Hoyo, J., A. Elliott & J. Sargatal (eds.), Handbook of the birds of the world. Vol. 5. Barn-owls to hummingbirds. Lynx Editions, Barcelona. Pp. 76-242.

“A pair of Spotted Owlets (Athene brama) are having continuous feud with a pair of Indian Rollers (Coracias benghalensis) in our garden over a nesting hole. After a brief retreat, the owlets are back in possession of the hole. One of the pair always occupies the hole while the other is safely hidden somewhere in the canopy. The rollers, on their part, dive bomb the hole with loud calls trying to dislodge the occupying owlet. While Indian Rollers are no doubt one of the most brilliantly coloured birds we have, even the most ardent bird lover would be hard pressed to enjoy their calls. Added to this are the shrieks of the owlets themselves and the Rose-ringed Parakeets (Psittacula krameri) (who are neighbours). So we have a regular cacophony on here.

“The owlets now enjoy a distinct advantage as possession is nine tenths of the law. However, woe betides the owlet caught in the open by the rollers. It is mercilessly attacked. The attached photo is of an owlet just after it alighted on our roof after one such attack. He looks absolutely frazzled. On a more serious note I wonder how they will be able to breed with this constant harassment.”

Raj Kamal Phukan
Dibrugarh, Assam, India
14th April 2010

Note: The Spotted Owl is a common and familiar owl in India. It is particularly abundant around human habitation. The Indian Roller is another common bird around open cultivated areas. It has a variety of loud, raucous croaks and chuckles. The Rose-ringed Parakeet is similarly common, shrieking loudly in flight and at rest.