The climate of Changtang in Tibet is changeable, with snow-capped mountains towering into the sky and lakes dotted with lakes inhabited by many wild animals. A small bird of prey, the longitudinal-bellied owl, is crouching near its nest to guard its young birds. I saw that its neck was twisting sharply, it seemed to be looking left and right, and its body was still lying down together, and suddenly it found a Tibetan fox appear nearby.
The Tibetan fox, presumably in search of food, broke into the territory of the striped owl. But before the Tibetan fox could get closer, the longitudinally striped owl suddenly took off, skimmed low, and grabbed the head of the Tibetan fox with its claws. The Tibetan fox was bullied by the little bird of prey, a little humiliated, but did not want to fight back, but turned and ran away.
In nature, there are often examples of small deceptions, and ferrets often prey on prey larger than themselves. The longitudinal-bellied owl is many times smaller than the Tibetan fox, but in order to protect the young birds, it fiercely drives away the Tibetan fox. It's time to get to know the longitudinal-bellied owl, what kind of little bird of prey is it?
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" >01 palm-sized man with sharp hook claws and hook nozzles</h1>
The impression of an owl is ugly and has a strange bark, but when you see the longitudinal-bellied owl, it will definitely change, hey, this little guy is very cute!
As a small bird of prey in the genus Owl of the family Owlidae, the longitudinal-bellied owl is between 20-26 cm in length, and if the head is shrunk, it is only the size of a palm, and it is the smallest owl, widely distributed in most parts of northern and western China.
At first glance, the longitudinal belly owl looks cute, the top of the head is flat, there is no ear feather cluster, the face plate is small and exquisite, a pair of large eyes, and there is a white eyebrow stripe above the eyes, which is really a cute face.
The plumage is predominantly brown , with a greyish-brown upperpart covered with white spots ; the abdomen is a longitudinal stripe of white and brown. The brownish-white feathers covered the tarsals and toes, as if wearing a pair of fur pants.
Although it is small and unremarkable, it is not vegetarian. The longitudinal-bellied owl has the "standard" body structure of a bird of prey, strong hook claws and sharp hook-like mouth, and keen senses that can easily locate prey.
The longitudinal-bellied owl's call is varied, mainly mournful, and it also emits an up-and-down call to occupy the field, and the cry of the alarm is sharp.
It gives people the feeling of being cute on the outside, exquisite and cute, but it is also quite fierce when it is fierce. It is said that the longitudinal-bellied owl is also the bird of love of Athena, the goddess of wisdom in Greek mythology, and is regarded as a symbol of wisdom.
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" >02 is good at sprinting short distances to chase prey, with protrusions at the base of the tongue to prevent prey from slipping away</h1>
Most owls are diurnal and nocturnal, but the longitudinal-bellied owl is not a night owl, and it also comes out during the day, often preying at dusk.
The longitudinal-bellied owl feeds mainly on mice, but also eats small animals and insects such as birds, lizards, frogs, etc. When hunting, it will crouch at a high place to observe, and will also nervously shake its head or nod, in fact, watching the six ways and listening to the eight directions, helping itself to find the prey more accurately and lock on to the prey.
He is good at chasing prey over short distances, and whenever he finds prey, he will quickly rush over, hold the prey with his strong claws, and then eat it in one bite. Of course, the prey will not obediently let it eat, it is difficult to escape under its claws, perhaps it can be taken advantage of when it is swallowed, slipping away from the mouth?
The longitudinal-bellied owl has a curved hook mouth, and at the base of the tongue there are many tip protrusions pointing to the esophagus at the base of the tongue, which can bite the prey very well and swallow it. Therefore, it is impossible for a mouse to slip away after being caught by a striated owl.
The appearance is cute and cute, after all, the raptor is a bird of prey, for the rats, can fly and run, hooked and clawed longitudinal striped belly owl, is a terrible "killer".
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" >03 has a strong sense of territory, constantly twisting his neck when whistling, and fiercely driving away males</h1>
During the day, the longitudinal belly owl is observed, often at a low altitude to quickly flapping its wings for wavy flight, but also crouching in a high place to turn the neck sharply, looking left and right, and also nodding vigorously, which is very funny. However, it is not playing and selling cuteness, but it is playing a whistle, clever.
The longitudinal-bellied owl is a resident bird, and will build its nest in the earth hole in the cliff, the mud hole on the river bank, the sand hole between the embankment, the tree hole of the dead wooden stump, the cave is arranged in a relatively safe and comfortable place, and it is a small bird of prey that will enjoy.
Have a strong sense of territory and will shout to tell their peers that this is my territory and that they are not allowed to invade! As soon as other males come in, they will be driven away fiercely.
Even if other larger animals are found to invade the homeland, the longitudinal-bellied owl will interfere with the repellent. A Tibetan fox in Tibet just mentioned was bullied to the head because it broke into the territory of the longitudinal-bellied owl.
The longitudinal-bellied owl is highly alert and is also afraid of panic when it senses danger. As danger approaches, it will widen its eyes and its body will tighten and rise and fall, as if doing a "squat and squat" motion.
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" >04 male bird carefully takes care of the "wife and child", in order to feed the young birds themselves hungry</h1>
Male longitudinal-bellied owls do not welcome other males to their territory, but they welcome the arrival of females, especially during the breeding season, when males are particularly attentive to females.
May and July is the season of marriage and childbirth of the longitudinal owl, in the morning and dusk, they will be excited to sing, but also chase each other, play, at this time the female bird almost attracted the attention of the male bird, the attraction of predation is not so great.
When the male is courting, he will stretch his neck and shrug his feathers, swing his head from side to side, and attract the female by showing off himself. For the female, the more courtships the better, and she will choose one of them to marry.
Each clutch lays 3-6 eggs, which take nearly 30 days to hatch before the young birds can break through their shells. Females incubating eggs is a boring and hard job, so the male takes on the task of predation, preparing food for the female every day, careful and gentle; at the same time, he is also responsible for vigilance, so as not to let his "wife and children" be bullied by other animals.
When the young bird finally broke its shell and was born, its head was a little large, with yellow and white down feathers. The little owl couple was particularly happy, but also busier. As the young birds grow up, their appetites grow larger, and the males and females take turns to hunt in order to barely feed them, and they are often hungry. In order to raise a litter of children, it is not easy!
The young birds grow to about 50 days and are finally able to fly on their own, and the young owl couple takes them out to hunt and teach them to be self-reliant.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" >05 conclusion</h1>
The longitudinal-bellied owl has many faces, the appearance is cute and cute, the personality is fierce and brave, and the treatment of its "wife and children" is careful and thoughtful! Maybe this little guy has a lot of interesting behavior habits waiting for us to discover.
Xuelinggu Nature Lab/Production
References: National Geographic of China, China Wildlife Conservation Association, Southwest Mountain, Nature Magazine