Indian Scops and not Collared Scops Owls in Bharatpur!
Thanks to Abhishek Gulshan , we now realize that this is probably the Indian Scops Owl , a new sub-species that is closely related to the Collared Scops Owl. He writes: " as per the book , a Collared would be more heavily streaked as far as the underparts are concerned (not a conclusive differentiation) and is more common in the Himalayas and the north east. The best way to differentiate is the call however it may not call during the day. So assuming this , this may be an Indian Scops although orientalbirdimages still somehow goes by the old world name Collared. " Thanks , Abhishek ! The Indian Scops Owl (Otus bakkamoena) is a resident species of owl found in the southern regions of Asia from eastern Arabia through the Indian Subcontinent , except the far north , east across much of Southeast Asia to Indonesia. This species formerly included what has been split out as the Collared Scops Owl (Otus lettia). The species epithet is derived from " bakamuna " , the Sinhalese name for the White Barn Owl (Tyto alba) , and the Brown Fish Owl (Ketupa zeylonensis).The Indian Scops Owl is a common resident bird in forests and other well-wooded areas. It nests in a hole in a tree , laying 3--5 eggs.The Indian Scops Owl is a small (23--25 cm) owl , although it is one of the largest of the scops owls. Like other scops owls , it has small head tufts , or ears. The upperparts are grey or brown , depending on the morph , with faint buff spotting. The underparts are buff with fine darker streaking.Source - WikipediaThe Collared Scops Owl (Otus lettia) is an owl which is a resident breeder in south Asia from northern Pakistan , northern India and the Himalayas east to south China. It is partially migratory , with some birds wintering in India , Sri Lanka and Malaysia. This species was formerly considered to be included within what is now separated as the Indian Scops Owl (Otus bakkamoena).This species is a part of the larger grouping of owls known as typical owls , Strigidae , which contains most species of owl.