Chandesra is a village 20 km from Udaipur (Rajasthan) and its surroundings abound in Peafowl because the inhabitants of the village religiously protect this bird. On the evening of 22^nd April 1988, we were standing near a big mango tree at the base of a hill on the outskirts of the village. Many birds had already settled on the tree for the night.

The sun had already set and hence the light was dim. A full-grown peafowl with a long train flew down the hill and perched on top of the tree. A Great Horned Owl suddenly came and struck the bird, which dropped to the ground with a thud. The owl took a long turn and came back to its prey. Meanwhile three pie-dogs, which were already under the tree, dashed towards the crippled or probably dead bird and started tearing it to pieces. The owl, on seeing its prey in the possession of the dogs, turned and flew away.

By Raza H. Tehsin

Published in Journal of Bombay Natural History Society:

Tehsin, R. H. & Tehsin F. (1990) Indian Great Horned Owl (Bubo bubo) and Peafowl (Pavo cristatus). J. Bom. Nat. Hist. Soc. 87(2): 300