OWL 6/16 - Spotted Brown Owl

 One of the most exciting sounds to come from our woods and forests belongs our resident owl—the Spotted Wood-Owl. This bird is twice the size of the Brown Hawk-Owl and emits a loud and powerful coughing sound somewhat like the barking of a dog. It gives deep quavering call wrrrrooh....repeat.

This sound has been described as the "most exciting" and also the "most eerie frightening sound" of the forest in the night, and we can well believe that the Spotted Woods call has given rise to stories of supernatural happenings.
It's not too difficult to hear the Spotted Wood, as it prefers the edge of the forest and woods and also tends to stick to the same neck of the woods. It also calls at quite specific times in the twilight hours of roughly between 6.30pm and 7.30pm, as if to announce that it is now up and about. The Spotted Wood is a large owl that is generally brownish with whitish spots all over the upper parts of its body and, like the Brown Hawk, it also does not have ear-tufts. Can sometimes be seen in mangrove forest, plantations and fringes of wooded park.


This lifer of my shot in Penang bird park