What Type Of Owl?

[MartinMM]

We have a raintree in our garden with 2 owls living inside.

I can see there eyes at night and we can hear them.

Anyone any idea what kind of owls they might be?

[mackayae]

Scops-owl.

[goski]

Guessing that there aren't that many owl experts amongst the expats I give you this:

http://www.zyworld.com/NAKARIN/plate60owls.htm

[goski]

There are tons of scops owls so which one in that case?

[mackayae]

Pidwidgeon.

[hanno]

It would help if you could record/describe the call; there are plenty of owls in Thailand.

[sceadugenga]

I thought all owls went "hoot hoot"?

[toybits]

This is a bit out of tipic but since we are talking about birds, I hear a birds screaming at night as they pass overhead at our village in Thai Sai. These birds fly all night long and it seems to me they are echolocating.

Any Idea what these birds are? I have tried to spot them but this is next to impossible against a dark background.

[hanno]

I thought all owls went "hoot hoot"?

Well they do, sort of, but it is the frequency and pitch of call that makes owls pretty easy to identify if you know the calls.

Any Idea what these birds are?

Sure they are not bats? Do the calls go on all night or mostly just after dusk and before dawn. Could be Nightjars I guess but again it would be good to know how exactly they call.

[toybits]

These babies go on allll night. From Dusk to dawn. There are times when there are two groups of birds and they seem to be calling out to each other.

Sure they are not bats? Do the calls go on all night or mostly just after dusk and before dawn. Could be Nightjars I guess but again it would be good to know how exactly they call.

[goski]

Bats don't scream and unless you have a ultrasonic microphone you wouldn't really be able to hear them.

[sceadugenga]

Bats of the sub-order Megachiroptera such as fruitbats are quite noisy.

They are vocal animals; more than 30 different calls have been recorded for Grey-headed Flying-foxes. The different calls are associated with specific behaviours such as mating, finding young in the camp and in territorial disputes over food. Loud calls may be heard during mating and when defending their territory such as feeding trees.

Link

[hanno]

Bats don't scream and unless you have a ultrasonic microphone

As sceadugenga pointed out, you are not entirely correct. I am still thinking that it is bats as Nightjars do not usually go on all night. Toybits, any chance of describing the call?

[Goshawk]

could be an Asian Barred Owlet - very common, very vocal & often found near people/gardens..

however, these guesses are all shots in the dark without a little more descriptive info, on call at least, from the OP

[toybits]

Its more like the scream of a banshee... You can hear it even when they are still very far away - well - it is kind of quiet where we live so....

Bats don't scream and unless you have a ultrasonic microphone

As sceadugenga pointed out, you are not entirely correct. I am still thinking that it is bats as Nightjars do not usually go on all night. Toybits, any chance of describing the call?

[Goshawk]

there's quite a few species of bats in Thailand too..

[sceadugenga]

Banshee?

Must be a vampire bat.

[goski]

Please refrain from putting photos of family on the internet scea, you might be compromised later.

[hanno]

scream of a banshee

I do not think I have ever heard one of those

[sceadugenga]

Please refrain from putting photos of family on the internet scea, you might be compromised later.

It's ok, it's only an ex wife.

Goski, banshees are a type of Irish fairy that sits on your roof and screams when there is going to be a death in the house the next day.

Banshee

Tayto was full of good Irish lore but unfortunately is no longer with us.

[chang35baht]

Its more like the scream of a banshee... You can hear it even when they are still very far away - well - it is kind of quiet where we live so....

Bats don't scream and unless you have a ultrasonic microphone

As sceadugenga pointed out, you are not entirely correct. I am still thinking that it is bats as Nightjars do not usually go on all night. Toybits, any chance of describing the call?

Definitely monkeys.

[brahmburgers]

When out climbing rocks, I've come across owls - they're white with dark speckles. When they're startled or forced to flee a rocky hang-out, they'll sometimes sh!t - which isn't a bad defense, or perhaps a commentary on an oddball farang with the audacity to climb up near their rookery.

I once saw a little hill tribe boy walking with two baby owls - held upside down by their feet. I was shocked, and first asked what he had them for (he said to eat), and then asked if I could buy them. He could sense my outrage, and scuttled off to his hut. It was in my early days residing in Thailand, and I barely spoke ten words of Thai at the time, so that didn't help with the quick negotiations. Several years later, I saw two mature owls in too-small cages in town. I asked the owner if I could buy them (to set them free) and he said no. I wonder if they were the same two owls the kid had.

Sadly, there appear to be considerably less owls hiding out in the limestone cliffs nowadays - then there were just 10 years ago.

[Goshawk]

You're all lucky folks up in Chiang Rai.. In 2007, a brand new breeding species was discovered for Thailand

the Grass Owl (very similar to Barn Owl) was found to be living around Chiang Saen.. Story can be seen here

I'll have to get up there one day & with the aid of Mick Davies, add this bird to my Thai list.

[hanno]

I'll have to get up there one day & with the aid of Mick Davies, add this bird to my Thai list.

Let me know when you are going, I need that bird too.

Definitely monkeys.

Not sure about that, the OP said the animals in question were flying overhead.

[chang35baht]

I'll have to get up there one day & with the aid of Mick Davies, add this bird to my Thai list.

Let me know when you are going, I need that bird too.

Definitely monkeys.

Not sure about that, the OP said the animals in question were flying overhead.

Leaping from tree to tree.

[sceadugenga]

The Lesser Buttocked Night Monkey to be precise.

[toybits]

Then, these monkeys must have wings.... because there are no tall trees in the neighborhood.

I'll have to get up there one day & with the aid of Mick Davies, add this bird to my Thai list.

Let me know when you are going, I need that bird too.

Definitely monkeys.

Not sure about that, the OP said the animals in question were flying overhead.

Leaping from tree to tree.

[goski]

It's flying banshee batmonkeys! I'm sure because then you don't need an ultrasonic microphone to hear them.

[toybits]

I think I finally have it!! These birds were flying toward Big C. No wonder there's a lot of cheap turkeys at Big C these days.

[sceadugenga]

I'm surprised they never got lost in the roadworks if they were trying to get to Big C.