The Spot-Bellied Eagle Owl Known As The Devil Bird Of Sri Lanka, With Hearts In Its Feathers

But was this a real animal? In the 1950s, ornithologist George Morton Henry, author of a definitive volume on the birds of Sri Lanka, decided that the devil bird actually was the spot-bellied eagle-owl (Bubo nipalensis blighi)[source: Eberhart]. This predatory bird, which is also known as the forest eagle owl, is found in a swath of South Asia stretching from India to Burma. It is about 21 inches (53 centimeters) in length and has heart-shaped spots and prominent black-and-white ear tufts that give it a suitably eerie appearance. But people who are fearful of it shouldn't worry, because it eats only game birds (like pheasants), reptiles and fish [source: Harrison].