Philippine Hawk-Owl calling [HD]

From the highlands of Mindanao, we go to the lowlands of Luzon: a video clip of a Philippine Hawk-Owl Ninox philippensis calling. Owls and other nocturnal birds are probably the least studied wildlife in the Philippines. And the Philippines has a LOT of nocturnal birds, like this Luzon Scops Owl from Mt. Polis and this Philippine Scops Owl from Northern Sierra Madre and this bizarre looking Palawan Frogmouth as well as this Philippine Frogmouth from Mindanao. Aside from the difficulty of observing them in the night, a lot of Filipinos are afraid of owls: many locals have this superstitious belief that owls are harbingers of bad luck and death. Sadly, as a result of these superstitions, many owls are caught or killed. Probably the reason why a lot of locals are afraid of owls is because of their weird, growling calls. While birders will get out of their beds upon hearing these sounds in the middle of the night, for non-birders, hearing a sound like this in the darkness of the forest is enough to send shivers down the spine. 🙂 Philippine Hawk-Owl Ninox philippensis