Forest Owlet

The rare Forest Owlet has recently been spotted in Kuno National Park, more than a century after it was last recorded there. This sighting is significant for wildlife conservation because the species is extremely rare and endemic to India.

Forest Owlet is a rare diurnal owl endemic to the forests of central India, inhabiting tropical and dry deciduous forests; it feeds on rodents, reptiles, and insects.
First described in 1873, presumed extinct after 1884 and rediscovered in 1997 at Melghat Tiger Reserve and is listed as Endangered by International Union for Conservation of Nature (CITES Appendix I).