Journal of Threatened
Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 November 2025 | 17(11): 28007–28010
ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.10148.17.11.28007-28010
#10148 | Received 16 June 2025 | Finally accepted 27 October 2025
Filling the gap: first regional
record of the Little Owl Athene noctua ludlowi (Strigiformes: Strigidae) from Uttarakhand, India
Anuj Joshi 1, Dhanesh
Ponnu 2, Vineet K. Dubey 3
& Sambandam
Sathyakumar 4
1–4 Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehradun, Uttarakhand 248001, India.
1 joshianuj671@gmail.com, 2 radhadhaneshp@gmail.com,
3 vineetkrdubey@gmail.com,
4 sathyakumar1103@gmail.com
(corresponding author)
Editor: H. Byju,
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. Date of publication: 26 November 2025 (online & print)
Citation: Joshi,
A., D. Ponnu, V.K. Dubey & S. Sathyakumar (2025). Filling the
gap: first regional record of the Little Owl Athene noctua
ludlowi (Strigiformes: Strigidae) from Uttarakhand, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 17(11): 28007–28010. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.10148.17.11.28007-28010
Copyright: © Joshi et al. 2025. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and
distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the
author(s) and the source of publication.
Funding: Department of Science and Technology (DST-NMSHE
II), Government of India,Grant no: DST/CCP/TF-4/Phase-2/WII/2021(G).
Competing interests: The authors
declare no competing interests.
Acknowledgements: This work is
part of a project initiated under
the National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem Programme funded by the Department
of Science and Technology, Government of India under grant no. DST/CCP/ TF-4/Phase-2/WII/2021[G]. We are thankful to the
director and dean, Wildlife
Institute of India, for their guidance and support. We are grateful to the PCCF& CWLW, Uttarakhand, for granting us the
research permission.
High-altitude regions often
support species that remain poorly documented due to harsh terrain and limited
accessibility, resulting in substantial gaps in biodiversity knowledge
(Shrestha et al. 2020). The Little Owl Athene noctua
is widely distributed across the Palearctic region, with multiple subspecies
distinguished primarily by plumage coloration and body size. Vaurie’s (1960) comprehensive taxonomic revision recognized
13 subspecies of the Little Owl, including A. n. ludlowi,
which occurs in the Himalayan region (Koelz 1939).
Recent synthesis on the Little Owl confirms that the subspecies Athene noctua ludlowi occupies the
Himalayan arc and adjoining Tibetan Plateau, with records supporting its
occurrence across this region. These records, categorized into distinct
geographical clusters, contributed to the delineation of 13 regions within the
overall distribution range of the species (Nieuwenhuyse et al. 2023). Although
globally assessed as ‘Least Concern’ by the IUCN Red List with a stable
population trend, A. n. ludlowi remains one of
the least studied subspecies in the Himalaya (BirdLife
International 2019). In India, the species is not listed separately but, as a
member of the family Strigidae, is included under
Schedule II of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
The distribution of the species
in the Himalaya has been documented only sporadically over the past century,
reflecting a consistent lack of focused research. The earliest records appear
in The Fauna of British India (Baker 1922, 1927), with observations from the
Mishmi Hills, Arunachal Pradesh, from the Lahaul-Spiti
landscape of Himachal Pradesh (Marshall 1984), followed by trans-Himalayan
records from Ladakh (Ludlow & Kinnear 1937).
After several decades with
little new information, modern confirmations emerged, including
breeding records from Upper Mustang, Nepal (Acharya 2002). Pfister (2001) noted
potential interbreeding between A. n. ludlowi
and A. n. bactriana in the southern part of
Tso Kar. Additional evidence has come from high-altitude locations such as Sela Pass, Arunachal Pradesh (Limparungpatthanakij
et al. 2017), and northern Sikkim (Ganguli-Lachungpa
et al. 2011). Taxonomic and distributional treatment in Rasmussen &
Anderton (2012) consolidated its status, while more recent work added the first
national record in Bhutan (Wangdi 2015) and its
inclusion in regional checklists (Bhutan Ecological Society 2018; NTNC 2018)
Here, we report a photographic
record of the Little Owl from the high-altitude alpine habitat of the Upper
Bhagirathi River Basin, Uttarakhand (30.943° N, 78.906° E) (Image 1). The
identification was independently verified by multiple experienced birders, with
key features including white spectacles, a white throat, and bold white
spotting on the underparts (Image 2; Grimmett et al.
2011). The record is particularly noteworthy as it significantly exceeds the
typical upper elevation range of the Spotted Owlet Athene brama, which rarely occurs above 2,800 m, thereby
supporting the validity of the identification. This study forms part of a
long-term monitoring program titled ‘Assessment and Monitoring of Climate
Change Effects on Wildlife Species and Ecosystems for Developing Adaptation
Strategies in the Indian Himalayan Region-DST NMSHE’, aimed at
understanding the responses of medium-sized mammals and ground-dwelling birds
to changing climatic conditions in the region. The basin encompasses diverse
habitats: subtropical broad-leaved and Chir Pine Pinus
roxburghii forests at lower elevations (500–1,500
m); montane mixed broad-leaved forests and oak woodlands (Quercus semecarpifolia, Q. floribunda), and subalpine
mixed coniferous forests (Abies pindrow, Cedrus deodara, Pinus wallichiana)
at mid-elevations (2,000–3,800 m); high-altitude alpine and subalpine
vegetation (3,500–5,000 m) with Rhododendron spp., Betula utilis, and alpine herbs and forbs; and a
Trans-Himalayan landscape (3,500–5,200 m) represented in Nelong
Valley with alpine desert steppe plants such as Caragana versicolor, Acantholimon lycopodioides,
Thylacospermum caespitosum,
Rhamnus prostrata,
and Artemisia brevifolia. The alpine habitat
surrounding the camera trap site supports a mosaic of herbaceous cover and
shrub thickets, which are known to harbour small
mammal populations. Although direct rodent surveys were not conducted, the
presence of burrow systems and frequent sightings of murid species during
concurrent fieldwork suggest adequate prey availability for A. n. ludlowi. This aligns with the species’ known dietary
preference for small mammals, reinforcing the ecological plausibility of its
occurrence in this region. Previous studies (e.g., König & Weick 2008; BirdLife International 2019) have emphasised
the Little Owl’s reliance on rodent-rich habitats, particularly in montane and
semi-open landscapes.
Despite its broad occurrence
across the Himalayan arc, it remains one of the least studied subspecies of the
Little Owl, with research largely restricted to scattered presence-only
records. Citizen-science platforms such as eBird now
provide important supplementary data, revealing that records are concentrated
in Ladakh, followed by Sikkim, with Arunachal
Pradesh, particularly the Sela Pass region, showing
regular observations. In contrast, Bhutan, Nepal, and Himachal Pradesh report only
a handful of sightings, though suitable habitats suggest a potentially wider
distribution. A single record from Kalimpong, West
Bengal, further indicates its occurrence in the eastern Himalaya (Image 3b).
This first photographic evidence
of Athene noctua ludlowi
from Uttarakhand addresses a key distributional gap within the Himalaya.
Despite the subspecies remaining poorly studied, recent contributions from
citizen-science initiatives have provided valuable supplementary data,
particularly by involving local observers in remote landscapes. Ongoing
integration of such participatory records with systematic field surveys offers
a practical way forward for refining knowledge of its range and informing
conservation planning.
For
images - - click here for full PDF
References
Acharya, R.
(2002). Notes on
breeding birds from Upper Mustang, Nepal. Danphe
11(4): 4–6.
Baker, E.C.S.
(1922). The Fauna
of British India, including Ceylon and Burma: Birds. Vol. I. Taylor &
Francis.
Baker, E.C.S.
(1927). The Fauna
of British India, including Ceylon and Burma: Birds. Vol. IV. Taylor &
Francis.
BirdLife International (2019). Athene noctua
(amended version of 2018 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
2019: e.T22689328A155470112. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T22689328A155470112.en.
Accessed on 10.ix.2025.
Bhutan
Ecological Society (2018). Checklist of birds of Bhutan. Bhutan Ecological Society.
Ganguli-Lachungpa, U., D. Lachungpa, D. Tshering, L. Pradhan & N. Norbu
(2011). A checklist
of the birds of Sikkim. BirdingASIA 16:
92–101.
Grimmett, R., C. Inskipp
& T. Inskipp (2011). Birds of the Indian
Subcontinent (2nd edition). Oxford University Press and Christopher Helm.,
528 pp.
Koelz, W. (1939). Notes on the birds of central
Asia. Proceedings of the United States National Museum, 86(3054):
399–492. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00963801.86-3054.399
Limparungpatthanakij, W., S. Dutta, K. Choden & T. Ugyen (2017). Noteworthy bird records from Sela Pass, Arunachal Pradesh, India. BirdingASIA,
27: 116–119.
Ludlow, F.
& N.B. Kinnear (1937). The birds of Lahul in the Kangra
Himalayas. Ibis 79(2): 205–252. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1474-919X.1937.tb02447.x
Marshall,
A.J. (1984). Notes on
birds from Lahaul and Spiti,
Himachal Pradesh. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 81(2):
364–367.
NTNC (2018). Checklist of the Birds of
Nepal. National Trust for Nature Conservation, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Nieuwenhuyse,
D.V., R. van Harxen & D.H. Johnson (2023). The Little Owl: Population
dynamics, behavior and management of Athene noctua.
Cambridge University Press, 539 pp.
Pfister, O.
(2001). Birds
recorded during visits to Ladakh, India. Forktail 17: 81–98.
Rasmussen,
P.C. & J.C. Anderton (2012). Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide (2nd
Edition). National Museum of Natural History and Lynx Edicions.
Shrestha,
U.B., S. Gautam & K.S. Bawa (2020). Widespread climate change in the
Himalayas and associated changes in local ecosystems. Global Change Biology 26(10):
527–539. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14968
Vaurie, C. (1960). Taxonomy of the genus Athene
(Aves, Strigidae). Bulletin of the American Museum
of Natural History 121(3): 167–229.
Wangdi, K. (2015). First record of the Little Owl (Athene
noctua) from Bhutan. BirdingASIA
23: 124–125.