Jungle Owlet
Encyclopedia
The Jungle Owlet or Barred Jungle Owlet, Glaucidium radiatum, is found in India
and the dry zone of Sri Lanka
. The species is often found singly, in pairs or small groups and are usually detected by their calls at dawn and dusk. There are two subspecies with the form found in the Western Ghats
sometimes considered a full species.
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. There are two subspecies, the nominate form is found in the plains of India and Sri Lanka while malabaricum of the Western Ghats
is shorter tail and shows more brown on the head. It has been suggested that this may warrant full species status.
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.
In Sri Lanka, this species earlier included the Chestnut-backed Owlet
(Glaucidium castanonotum) but this is considered a distinct species that is found in the wet zone.
s, treepies and sunbirds. During the daytime, young nestlings produce tick calls not unlike that of a Pale-billed Flowerpecker
.
They roost inside tree cavities and when disturbed they perch still and appear like a dead tree stump. They sometimes perch on prominently on wires. They sometimes bask in the morning before retiring to their roost. They have been known to capture small Phylloscopus warblers during the day, although their key feeding hours are an hour before sunrise and after sunset. Diet consists of insects, small birds and reptiles, and rodents.
The breeding season in India is March to May and they nest in the hollow of a tree at a height of 3 to 5 metres and raise a clutch of four eggs (three eggs in malabaricum).
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and the dry zone of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. The species is often found singly, in pairs or small groups and are usually detected by their calls at dawn and dusk. There are two subspecies with the form found in the Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
sometimes considered a full species.
Description
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
is shorter tail and shows more brown on the head. It has been suggested that this may warrant full species status.
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.
In Sri Lanka, this species earlier included the Chestnut-backed Owlet
Chestnut-backed Owlet
The Chestnut-backed Owlet, Glaucidium castanonotum, is an owl which is endemic to Sri Lanka. 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.-Identification or Description:The...
(Glaucidium castanonotum) but this is considered a distinct species that is found in the wet zone.
Habitat and distribution
They are found in habitats ranging from scrub forest to deciduous and moist deciduous forests.Behaviour and ecology
This owlet is mainly active at dawn and dusk, but is known to call and fly during the daytime as well. The call is distinctive and consists of a increasingly rapid series of prao..prao.prao-prao-prao that increases and fades in volume to end abruptly. When detected, they are often mobbed by drongoDrongo
The drongos are a family of small passerine birds of the Old World tropics, the Dicruridae. This family was sometimes much enlarged to include a number of largely Australasian groups, such as the Australasian fantails, monarchs and paradise flycatchers...
s, treepies and sunbirds. During the daytime, young nestlings produce tick calls not unlike that of a Pale-billed Flowerpecker
Pale-billed Flowerpecker
Tickell's Flowerpecker or Pale-billed Flowerpecker is a tiny bird that feeds on nectar and berries, found in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The bird is common especially in urban gardens with berry bearing trees...
.
They roost inside tree cavities and when disturbed they perch still and appear like a dead tree stump. They sometimes perch on prominently on wires. They sometimes bask in the morning before retiring to their roost. They have been known to capture small Phylloscopus warblers during the day, although their key feeding hours are an hour before sunrise and after sunset. Diet consists of insects, small birds and reptiles, and rodents.
The breeding season in India is March to May and they nest in the hollow of a tree at a height of 3 to 5 metres and raise a clutch of four eggs (three eggs in malabaricum).