Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: Guwahati holds a diverse owl population, but city noise makes them hard to find. Researchers recorded eight distinct species across the city, yet confirmed that loud environments consistently mask their presence. The study, published in the journal Urban Ecosystems, analyzed owl presence in 24 out of 33 one-square-kilometer grid cells surveyed from November 2023 to July 2025.
Debangini Roy, Shubhankar Khangar, and Dr. Pankaj Koparde of MIT World Peace University conducted the work under the Urban Owl Project. They visited neighborhoods, wetlands, and industrial zones eight times across four seasons. The Barn Owl and Spotted Owlet were the most common sightings, while the Brown Hawk Owl, Brown Fish Owl, Collared Scops Owl, Mountain Scops Owl, Oriental Scops Owl, and Asian Barred Owlet rounded out the list.
Tracking proved difficult. Detection probability for the Barn Owl sat at 3.4 percent, while the Spotted Owlet reached 12 percent. Roy noted the constant struggle against city sound. "An owl might be calling or perched just a few meters away, but vehicular traffic and background urban hum easily drown out their vocal activity," Roy said.
Urban expansion remains a major factor. Built-up land in Guwahati doubled between 1990 and 2020. Researchers found that while Barn Owls often utilize under-construction sites, the link between specific habitat types and owl occupancy remains inconsistent. The baseline occupancy for the city's owl community is estimated at 84 percent.
Dr. Koparde emphasized that owls provide natural rodent control, making them vital to the city ecosystem. He urged planners to prioritize protecting mature trees and green patches over simple roadside planting. Future studies will need to factor in prey availability and artificial light to refine these findings, as the team works to account for the elusive nature of nocturnal predators in a booming urban center.
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