Himalayan Owl

The Himalayan owl, or Himalayan wood owl, is a medium-sized owl, 35 to 40cm long, native to the forests and mountains of the Himalayas, Taiwan and Korea. It has warm tawny plumage, a light brown and white chest with vertical dark brown stripes, darker wings and tail with white bands, and a round head without ear tufts. It is nocturnal and rarely seen in most of its range (Wikipedia, general species account).

The form near the Himalayas ranges over northern Pakistan, northern India, Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal and northern Myanmar, and was first described by Edward Blyth in 1845 as the Bengal tawny owl. It prefers tree cavities for breeding and will use man-made nest boxes where cavities are scarce. Its song is two fast hoots, 'coo-coo'.