Food Habits of Spotted Owlet Athene brama (Temminck, 1821) in the Campus of Tropical Forest Research Institute, Jabalpur: an Ecological representation of Central India

The study on food habits of the Spotted Owlet, Athene brama Temminck 1821 in Tropical Forest Research Institute campus, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India was conducted in June 2011 to May 2012 by analyzing their regurgitated pellets. The insect order Coleoptera with three dung beetle species, Onitis philemon, Onitis virens, Onitis brahma and two orders and five species of small mammals, Mus booduga, Vandeleuria oleracea, Millardia meltada, Suncus etruscus and Suncus murinus were recorded from the pellets. The other insect taxa found in the pellets include Carabidae and Hydrophilidae beetles and Earwigs in the order Dermaptera. This is for the first time food habits of the spotted owlets, being reported from the state of Madhya Pradesh, which further provides identifying key characters of the dung beetles along with illustrations, obtained from the pellet materials. The study on the feeding habits of the owlet species is very important not only for its significance in conservation but also for their predatory potential, as they are the main predators of insects and non insect pests (rodents) of forestry and agricultural importance.