The brown wood owl is found in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Taiwan, and south China. The brown wood owl is a resident breeder in south Asia. This species is a part of the family of owls known as typical owls (Strigidae), which contains most species of owl. It belongs to the earless owl genus Strix.
Region
South and Southeast Asia
Typical Environment
Found from the Indian subcontinent and Sri Lanka through southern China and Taiwan to Myanmar, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, and the Greater Sundas (Sumatra, Java, Borneo). It favors mature evergreen, semi-evergreen, and moist deciduous forests, as well as bamboo thickets and well-wooded plantations. Typically roosts in dense foliage by day and hunts along forest edges, clearings, and riparian corridors at night. It avoids very open country but may use orchards and tea or coffee estates adjacent to forest. Presence is strongly tied to intact canopy and large trees for nesting.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 2500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The brown wood owl is a large, earless owl of dense forests, named for the fine barring on its underparts (leptogrammica means 'fine-lined'). It often inhabits mature evergreen or moist deciduous forest and can persist in well-wooded plantations. Its deep, booming calls carry far on humid nights and are a reliable way to detect it. It belongs to the typical owl family Strigidae and the earless owl genus Strix.
S. l. ochrogenis at Welimada, Sri Lanka
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
silent flier with strong, buoyant wingbeats and short glides
Social Behavior
Usually roosts singly or in pairs in dense canopy during the day. Pairs are monogamous and maintain territories year-round. Nests in large tree cavities or occasionally in old stick nests, typically laying one to two eggs. Both parents attend the young.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A deep, resonant series of booming hoots, often rendered as a spaced hoo-hoo or a rhythmic hu-hu-hu with a mournful quality. Pairs may duet at dusk and during the night, and birds also give gruff barks and growls at close range.
