Jungle Owlet (Glaucidium radiatum)

Jungle Owlet

[order] STRIGIFORMES | [family] Strigidae | [latin] Glaucidium radiatum | [authority] Tickell, 1833 | [UK] Jungle Owlet | [FR] Chevechette de ka jungle | [DE] Dschungelkauz | [ES] Mochuelo de Jungla | [NL] Jungle-dwerguil

Subspecies

Monotypic species

Genus

Members of the genus Glaucidium are very small and tiny owls. They have rounded heads without ear-tufts. Their eyes are yellow. In many species the talons are, in relation to their size, very powerful. The facial disc is not very distinct. Some species have a large dark patch with a pale border on each side of the nape of the neck, looking like false eyes. Many are partly diurnal and sing from exposed perches. These are mostly very tenacious in the hunt, and show little fear, even of approaching humans. Glaucidium is a worldwide genus, containing some 30 species. Most of the Asian species, and some of the African species show physical and behavioural differences that suggest they might be better placed in Athene, and DNA evidence suggests that there is only a distant relationship between the Old World Pygmy Owls and those of the New World.

Physical charateristics

This small owlet has a rounded head and is finely barred all over. There is no clear facial disk and the wings are brownish and the tail is narrowly barred in white. The plumage on the upper parts is dark black brown barred with white. The wing coverts have white and rufous patches. The primaries and secondaries are dark brown and barred with pale chestnut. The lower side is whitish or pale rufous barred with black. There is a whitish patch on the chin, upper breast and centre of the abdomen. The iris is yellow, the bill and tarsi are greenish with black claws

Listen to the sound of Jungle Owlet

[audio:http://www.planetofbirds.com/MASTER/STRIGIFORMES/Strigidae/sounds/Jungle Owlet.mp3]

Copyright remark: Most sounds derived from xeno-canto


wingspan min.: 0 cm wingspan max.: 0 cm
size min.: 20 cm size max.: 24 cm
incubation min.: 0 days incubation max.: 0 days
fledging min.: 0 days fledging max.: 0 days
broods: 0   eggs min.: 2  
      eggs max.: 4  

Range

Oriental Region : India

Habitat

They are found in habitats ranging from scrub forest to deciduous and moist deciduous forests

Reproduction

The breeding season in India is March to May. The nest is built in a hollow of a tree at a height of 3 to 8 m above ground. Clutch size is 3 eggs, Sri Lanka subspecies only 2.

Feeding habits

Hunts mainly an hour before sunrise and after sunset. Diet consists of insects, small birds and reptiles, and rodents.

Video Jungle Owlet

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VpsXWsqKf0

copyright: Josep del Hoyo


Conservation

This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). The population trend appears to be stable, and hence the species does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size has not been quantified, but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
Jungle Owlet status Least Concern

Migration

Resident

Distribution map

Jungle Owlet distribution range map

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