Alternative names: Sjostedt’s Barred Owlet; Chestnut-backed Owlet (not to be confused with Glaucidium castanonotum)
- Glaucidium sjostedti
Identification
20-25 cm.
- Brown head and neck with white barring
- Brown facial disc with buff-white barring
- Yellow eyes and bill
- Prominent white throat and eyebrows
- Barred brown and white upper back, deep chestnut rest of upperparts
- Barred brown and white flight feathers
- Brown tail with thin white bars
- Cinnamon underparts, uniformely barred brown
Sexes similar. Juveniles are paler with buffy underparts, chestnut wash across throat, faint dark barring on upper chest and buff barring on scapulars.
Distribution
Western Africa: found in Cameroon, Gabon, northern Republic of the Congo, southern Central African Republic and northwest and central Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Uncommon in most of its range, locally not uncommon in Gabon.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Some authorities place this species in genus Taenioglaux.
Habitat
Moist lowland primary forests. Occurs a bit higher on Mount Cameroon.
Behaviour
Diet
Feeds mainly insects like grasshoppers or dung beetles. Takes also mice, spiders, crabs, small snakes and nestling birds.
A nocturnal hunter, sometimes mobbed during daytime at roost by small birds.
Hunts in the understorey of the forest.
Breeding
Nestlings recorded in February, May, August, November and December in Cameroon. The nest is in a cavity or a natural tree hollow, about 1.5 m above the ground. Lays at least 2 eggs.
Movements
Presumably a resident species with only some local movements.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, B.L. Sullivan, C. L. Wood, and D. Roberson. 2013. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.8., with updates to August 2013. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved July 2014)
- König, C. and F. Weick 2008. Owls of the World, second edition. Christopher Helm, London. ISBN 978-0-7136-6548-2
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Sjöstedt's Owlet. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 23 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Sj%C3%B6stedt%27s_Owlet
