Forest owlet

The forest owlet (Athene blewitti) is an endangered owl that is endemic to the forests of central India. The species belongs to the typical owls family, Strigidae. First described in 1873, it was not seen after 1884 and considered extinct[2] until it was rediscovered 113 years later in 1997 by Pamela Rasmussen. Searches for the species in the locality given on the label of the last collected specimen failed and it was discovered that the specimen had been stolen from the British Museum by Richard Meinertzhagen and resubmitted with a label bearing false locality information.[3][4] It is known from a small number of localities and the populations are very low within the fragmented and shrinking forests of central India.

Since its rediscovery in 1997, this species has been found at a number of new locations, several of which appear to hold significant populations. The population estimate has therefore been revised upwards, leading to its reclassification from Critically Endangered to Endangered. Nevertheless, the total known population remains very small and fragmented and is inferred to be declining as a result of the loss and degradation of its deciduous forest habitat.