Mapping the Potential Distribution of the Critically Endangered Forest Owlet &lt;I&gt;Heteroglaux blewitti&lt;/I&gt; in India

Jathar, Girish; Patil, Dharmaraj; Kalra, Mohit; Silva, Thilina de; Peterson, A. Townsend; Irfan-Ullah, Mohammed; Rahmani, Asad R.; Mehta, Prachi; Kulkarni, Jayant

doi:10.17087/jbnhs/2015/v112i2/104924

Cited by 7 publications

(13 citation statements)

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“…Recent studies have shown that H . blewitti occupies moderately dense dry deciduous forests, with intermittent open spaces [ 77 , 78 ]. This peculiar choice of habitat influenced by climate, along with prey preference and ecological interactions with other similar-sized competitors might have restricted the range of A .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The critically endangered forest owlet Heteroglaux blewitti is nested within the currently recognized Athene clade: A century-old debate addressed

Koparde¹,

Mehta²,

Reddy³

et al. 2018

PLoS ONE

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Range-restricted species generally have specific niche requirements and may often have unique evolutionary histories. Unfortunately, many of these species severely lack basic research, resulting in poor conservation strategies. The phylogenetic relationship of the Critically Endangered Forest Owlet Heteroglaux blewitti has been the subject of a century-old debate. The current classifications based on non-phylogenetic comparisons of morphology place the small owls of Asia into three genera, namely, Athene, Glaucidium, and Heteroglaux. Based on morphological and anatomical data, H. blewitti has been alternatively hypothesized to belong within Athene, Glaucidium, or its own monotypic genus Heteroglaux. To test these competing hypotheses, we sequenced six loci (~4300 bp data) and performed phylogenetic analyses of owlets. Mitochondrial and nuclear trees were not congruent in their placement of H. blewitti. However, both mitochondrial and nuclear combined datasets showed strong statistical support with high maximum likelihood bootstrap (>/ = 90) and Bayesian posterior probability values (>/ = 0.98) for H. blewitti being nested in the currently recognized Athene group, but not sister to Indian A. brama. The divergence of H. blewitti from its sister taxa was between 4.3 and 5.7 Ma coinciding with a period of drastic climatic changes in the Indian subcontinent. This study presented the first genetic analysis of H. blewitti, a Critically Endangered species, and addressed the long debate on the relationships of the Athene-Heteroglaux-Glaucidium complex. We recommend further studies with more data and complete taxon sampling to understand the biogeography of Indian Athene species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[ H .] blewitti is under severe threat of habitat loss due to large-scale logging, timber harvesting, and land-use change [ 11 , 77 , 78 ]. A .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The critically endangered forest owlet Heteroglaux blewitti is nested within the currently recognized Athene clade: A century-old debate addressed

Koparde¹,

Mehta²,

Reddy³

et al. 2018

PLoS ONE

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“…because these are not considered to be suitable habitats. However, we included grids that had forest edges with agriculture and grasslands because these areas are known to be used by multiple species including the specialist Forest Owlet (Jathar and Rahmani 2004, Mehta et al 2015, Kulkarni and Mehta 2020). We included "grasslands" as a class because the available land cover data from central India (NRSC LULC classification) includes deciduous forests with less than 50% canopy cover classified as grasslands (NRSC 2014).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Forest Owlet was rediscovered after 113 years (King and Rasmussen 1998) in the same region of Maharashtra. Subsequently, the species has been reported in new locations (Laad and Dagale 2014, Patel et al 2017, Raha et al 2017 and has been the focus of several distribution surveys and ecological studies because of its endangered and endemic status (Jathar and Rahmani 2004, Ishtiaq and Rahmani 2005, Mehta et al 2007, Patel et al 2015. These studies provide a broad understanding of the habitat requirements of the species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat determinants of species occupancy and niche partitioning among sympatric owlets: the paradoxical role of agricultural lands for the endangered Forest Owlet, Athene blewitti

Khan¹,

Sushma²,

B³

et al. 2023

JFO

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Species with highly restricted distributions are intriguing especially when they co-occur with similar and related species that are more widely distributed. They are also of conservation concern because of their restricted distributions and low population size. The Forest Owlet (Athene blewitti) is an endangered species endemic to the central Indian landscape that occurs in apparently unconnected pockets. Two other species of owlets, with wide distributions in India, Jungle Owlet (Glaucidium radiatum) and Spotted Owlet (Athene brama) co-occur with Forest Owlet. Understanding how species use the habitat matrix is central to prioritizing conservation action. We studied the three species across an extensive part of the predicted range of Forest Owlets through 350 surveys.Our results indicate that Jungle Owlet occupancy (ψ = 0.5896, SE = 0.08) was highest, followed by Forest Owlet (ψ = 0.2517, SE = 0.10), and Spotted Owlet (ψ = 0.1781, SE = 0.07). The Forest Owlet showed a preference for stands of forests with large trees but not necessarily with closed canopies, as well as open habitats (agricultural land cover). The Spotted Owlet showed a preference for agricultural land cover with lower litter and bare ground cover. In contrast, the Jungle Owlet showed a preference for dense forest and canopy cover. The preference for agricultural cover by the Forest Owlet provides important insights into our understanding of the ecology of this owlet. Most significantly, it brings up several conservation challenges for managing this endangered species across a human-use landscape.RESUMEN. Las especies con una distribución altamente restringida son intrigantes especialmente cuando co-occurren con especies cercanamente emparentadas y similares que están más ampliamente distribuidas. Estas especies son también de interés para la conservación por su distribución restringida y bajo tamaño poblacional. Athene blewitti es una especie amenazada y endémica al paisaje del centro de India donde se encuentra en bolsillos de hábitat aparentemente desconectados. Otras dos especies de búhos, con una amplia distribución en India, Glaucidium radiatum y Athene brama co-occurren con Athene blewitti. Comprender como la especie utiliza la matriz del hábitat es central para priorizar acciones de conservación. Estudiamos las tres especies a lo largo de una porción extensiva del rango predicho de Athene blewitti usando 350 muestreos. Nuestros resultados indican que la ocupación de Glaucidium radiatum (ψ = 0.5896, SE = 0.08) fue la más alta, seguida por Athene blewitti (ψ = 0.2517, SE = 0.10) y Athene brama (ψ = 0.1781, SE = 0.07). Athene blewitti mostro una preferencia por fragmentos de bosque con árboles grandes, pero no necesariamente con dosel cerrado, así como hábitats abiertos (cobertura de agricultura). En contraste, Athene brama mostró una preferencia por bosque denso y con alta cobertura de dosel. La preferencia por coberturas de agricultura por parte de Athene blewitti provee información importante para nuestro entendimiento de la ecología de e...

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“…It was reported that grazing has resulted in habitat degeneration and loss in the surveyed habitats of Double-banded Courser (Rhinoptilus bitorquatus) (Bushan, 1986) and Forest Owlet (Athene (Heteroglaux) blewitti) (Jathar et al, 2015, Mehta et al, 2008. Both these cases illustrate the serious threat posed by grazing to Critically Endangered 'Lazarus' bird species in India.…”

Section: Domesticated Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gone in 40 years, the curious case of the Himalayan Quail: an attempt at rediscovery and implications for conservation

Pop

Pandey

Singh

2020

Preprint

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Himalayan Quail (Ophrysia superciliosa) is a Galliforme species currently classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN. Given the fact that the species has only been recorded over a period of 40 years in the 19th century, this classification needs more scrutiny. The aim of this study was to explore the possibility of detecting the species in their known historical distribution in the lower Himalayas, and understand if possible, the factors which led to their decline or extinction. The potential habitats in districts of Nainital and Dehradun of Uttrakhand (India), where the species which has been recorded between 1836 to 1876, have been scoured thoroughly insofar as logistics and other factors permitted using trail and point transects. We did not detect any sign of the species in any of the areas, thereby corroborating the results of past surveys/expeditions in search of this species. Domesticated/feral species (grazing pressure and hunting by dogs), natural predation by species such as Yellow-throated Marten (Martes flavigula), hunting by humans, population growth and resulting land-use change, biogeochemical events,and tourism may all have contributed in varying degrees to their decline or extinction. It was found that most, if not all, proposals of strategies to find the species have been thus far unemployed or futile. We suggest improving the chances of re-discovering this species using tools such as molecular/genetic analysis and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. Management recommendations include stress on grazing laws, sterilization of dogs, awareness about unchecked human population growth and measures for limiting the effects of unsustainable tourism.

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Mapping the Potential Distribution of the Critically Endangered Forest Owlet <I>Heteroglaux blewitti</I> in India

Cited by 7 publications

References 0 publications

The critically endangered forest owlet Heteroglaux blewitti is nested within the currently recognized Athene clade: A century-old debate addressed

The critically endangered forest owlet Heteroglaux blewitti is nested within the currently recognized Athene clade: A century-old debate addressed

Habitat determinants of species occupancy and niche partitioning among sympatric owlets: the paradoxical role of agricultural lands for the endangered Forest Owlet, Athene blewitti

Gone in 40 years, the curious case of the Himalayan Quail: an attempt at rediscovery and implications for conservation

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