Habitat determinants of species occupancy and niche partitioning among sympatric owlets: the paradoxical role of agricultural lands for the endangered Forest Owlet, Athene blewitti

Species with highly restricted distributions are intriguing especially when they co-occur with similar and related species that are more widely distributed. They are also of conservation concern because of their restricted distributions and low population size. The Forest Owlet (Athene blewitti) is an endangered species endemic to the central Indian landscape that occurs in apparently unconnected pockets. Two other species of owlets, with wide distributions in India, Jungle Owlet (Glaucidium radiatum) and Spotted Owlet (Athene brama) co-occur with Forest Owlet. Understanding how species use the habitat matrix is central to prioritizing conservation action. We studied the three species across an extensive part of the predicted range of Forest Owlets through 350 surveys. Our results indicate that Jungle Owlet occupancy (ψ = 0.5896, SE = 0.08) was highest, followed by Forest Owlet (ψ = 0.2517, SE = 0.10), and Spotted Owlet (ψ = 0.1781, SE = 0.07). The Forest Owlet showed a preference for stands of forests with large trees but not necessarily with closed canopies, as well as open habitats (agricultural land cover). The Spotted Owlet showed a preference for agricultural land cover with lower litter and bare ground cover. In contrast, the Jungle Owlet showed a preference for dense forest and canopy cover. The preference for agricultural cover by the Forest Owlet provides important insights into our understanding of the ecology of this owlet. Most significantly, it brings up several conservation challenges for managing this endangered species across a human-use landscape