Spotted Owlet

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Spotted Owlet

Pair in Foreplay at Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India.

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Strigiformes
Family:	Strigidae
Genus:	Athene
Species:	A. brama

Binomial name

Athene brama
(Temminck, 1821)

The Spotted Owlet (Athene brama) is an owl which breeds in tropical Asia from India to Southeast Asia. This species is a part of the larger grouping of owls known as typical owls, Strigidae, which contains most species of owl. The other grouping is the barn owls, Tytonidae.

In Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

Spotted Owlet is a common resident bird in open habitats including farmland and human habitation. It nests in a hole in a tree or building, laying 3-5 eggs.

The Spotted Owlet is small (21cm) and stocky. The upperparts are grey-brown, heavily spotted with white. The underparts are white, streaked with brown. The facial disc is pale and the eyes are yellow. There is a white neckband. Sexes are similar. The flight is deeply undulating.

This species is nocturnal but is sometimes seen in the day. It can often be located by the small birds that mob it while it is perched in a tree. It hunts a variety of insects and small vertebrates. The call is a harsh chirurr-chirurr-chirurr.

Fort Aguada, Goa, India, Nov 1997

[edit] References

BirdLife International (2004). Athene brama. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern

Birds of India by Grimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp, ISBN 0-691-04910-6

[edit] External links

Spotted Owlet videos on the Internet Bird Collection

[edit] Gallery

In Kolkata, West Bengal, India.	Preening at Bharatpur at Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India.	Preening at Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India.	Pair in Foreplay at Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India.
Pair in Foreplay at Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India.	At Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India.	At Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India.	Different moods in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
Bathing in the rain in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.	Bathing in the rain in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.	Bathing in the rain in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.	in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India.
In Sariska National Park, Rajasthan, India.