- Athene brama
Identification
19–21 cm (7½-8¼ in)
- Grey-brown upperparts, heavily spotted with white
- Underparts are white, barred brown
- Pale facial disc
- Yellow eyes
- White neckband
- Relatively short tail
Sexes are similar
Similar species
Forest Owlet with more white in tail, and Little Owl with longitudinal streaks on both underside and crown; both are larger than Spotted Owlet.
Distribution
Asia from Southern Iran, India to Southeast Asia.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 4 subspecies[1]:
- A. b. albida:
- A. b. indica:
- Northern and central peninsula India
- A. b. brama:
- Southern India
- A. b. pulchra:
Habitat
Around human habitation and in light forests. Ruins, mango topes and ancient trees. Lowland Rainforest
Behaviour
This small owl is often heard during the day and can sometimes be seen hunting early in the morning and later in the afternoon.
Breeding
They nest in a tree hole or building. Their clutch contains 3-5 eggs.
Diet
Their main diet consists of small insects and vertebrates, also small mammals such as mice, geckos, shrews and roosting birds.
Vocalisation
<flashmp3>spotted_owlet_night_call_pair_alok.mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program
Recording by Alok Tewari
Delhi, India, Nov.-2016
Call given by a pair at 12.40 am, mid-night hour.
The recording below is of the day-time communication calls between a pair, one individual sitting near and other a little distance away.
<flashmp3>spotted_owlet_sound_alok.mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program
Recording by Alok Tewari
Outside Sultanpur National Park, Gurgaon, Haryana, India, May-2017
Gallery
Click images to see larger version
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- BirdForum Member observations
- König, C. and F. Weick 2008. Owls of the World, second edition. Christopher Helm, London. ISBN 978-0-7136-6548-2
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved October 2018)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Spotted Owlet. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 24 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Spotted_Owlet
External Links