Owls of India
36 owls recorded in India on the eBird network and profiled in the Birbs encyclopedia — the full list, with photos, sounds and ID notes, plus what's near you now.
36 owls have been recorded in India on eBird, the global citizen-science database run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and carry a full profile in the Birbs encyclopedia. Every bird below is a member of this group — the families Strigidae & Tytonidae. Start with the well-known species, browse the complete list, then check which are being reported near you right now.
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Owls of India to know first
Andaman BoobookNinox affinis
Andaman Masked OwlTyto deroepstorffi
Andaman Scops OwlOtus balli
Asian Barred OwletGlaucidium cuculoides
Boreal OwlAegolius funereus
Brown BoobookNinox scutulata
Brown Fish OwlKetupa zeylonensis
Brown Wood OwlStrix leptogrammica
Buffy Fish OwlKetupa ketupu
Collared Scops OwlOtus lettia
Eastern Barn OwlTyto javanica
Eastern Grass OwlTyto longimembris
Eurasian Eagle-OwlBubo bubo
Eurasian Scops OwlOtus scops
Forest OwletAthene blewitti
Himalayan OwlStrix nivicolum
Hume’s BoobookNinox obscura
Indian Eagle-OwlBubo bengalensis
The full list — 36 owls of India in our library
- Andaman Boobook
- Andaman Masked Owl
- Andaman Scops Owl
- Asian Barred Owlet
- Boreal Owl
- Brown Boobook
- Brown Fish Owl
- Brown Wood Owl
- Buffy Fish Owl
- Collared Owlet
- Collared Scops Owl
- Dusky Eagle-Owl
- Eastern Barn Owl
- Eastern Grass Owl
- Eurasian Eagle-Owl
- Eurasian Scops Owl
- Forest Owlet
- Himalayan Owl
- Hume’s Boobook
- Indian Eagle-Owl
- Indian Scops Owl
- Jungle Owlet
- Little Owl
- Long-eared Owl
- Mottled Wood Owl
- Mountain Scops Owl
- Nicobar Scops Owl
- Oriental Bay Owl
- Oriental Scops Owl
- Pallid Scops Owl
- Short-eared Owl
- Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl
- Spotted Owlet
- Sri Lanka Bay Owl
- Tawny Fish Owl
- Tawny Owl
Keep exploring
- Birds of India
- Old World Flycatchers & Chats of India (107 species)
- Hawks, Eagles & Kites of India (62 species)
- Laughingthrushes of India (58 species)
- Ducks, Geese & Swans of India (51 species)
- True Finches of India (51 species)
- Pheasants, Grouse & Allies of India (43 species)
- Sandpipers & Allies of India (42 species)
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of India (40 species)
- Pigeons & Doves of India (35 species)
- Thrushes of India (34 species)
- Woodpeckers of India (34 species)
- Parrots, Cockatoos & Allies of India (27 species)
- Crows, Jays & Magpies of India (24 species)
- Cuckoos of India (24 species)
- Herons, Egrets & Bitterns of India (24 species)
- Bulbuls of India (23 species)
- Larks of India (23 species)
- Starlings & Mynas of India (22 species)
- Old World Buntings of India (21 species)
- Plovers of India (21 species)
- Wagtails & Pipits of India (21 species)
- Rails, Crakes & Coots of India (20 species)
Owls in other regions
- Owls of Indonesia (54 species)
- Owls of Peru (31 species)
- Owls of Mexico (30 species)
- Owls of Ecuador (29 species)
- Owls of Colombia (28 species)
- Owls of the Philippines (24 species)
- Owls of the United States (24 species)
- Owls of Argentina (22 species)
- Owls of Malaysia (22 species)
- Owls of Brazil (21 species)
- Owls of Thailand (21 species)
- Owls of Kenya (19 species)
Species and counts come from the eBird network; "recorded" means reported by birders to eBird. Family grouping follows the IOC World Bird List. Tap any bird for its full profile.
Frequently asked questions
How many owls are found in India?
36 owls that we profile appear on India's eBird-reported checklist. The full A–Z list is on this page; the real total can shift as eBird records are added.
Are all of these owls really found there?
Yes — each one is on India's eBird checklist (reported by birders to the Cornell Lab's eBird), and each of these owls belongs to the family group named on this page. We don't rank them by abundance, because that varies by season and locale.
Where can I see owls in India right now?
Use Birds Near You for live, location-based reports, or turn on rare-bird alerts to hear when a notable one shows up close to you.