The spotted owlet, or Athene brama, is an elegant little raptor that belongs to the family Strigidae. It is grayish-brown in colour with white spots all over its body. It has a roundish head, a pale facial disc, yellow eyes and prominent white eyebrows. Its upperparts are gray-brown – heavily spotted with white and its underparts are white – streaked with brown.
It is found in tropical Asia from mainland India to South-east Asia, where it prefers open to semi-open areas near farmland or human habitation. It is well adapted to living in and near cities due to the availability of rodents and insects like rats and cockroaches in these areas. It is known to use street lamps as hunting bases, since the light attracts insects which it can easily catch.
It is generally active at dusk and before dawn, but is sometimes seen during the day. At other times, it may be seen roosting in small groups or as a pair in tree holes or on branches. It also hunts bats, squirrels, toads, small snakes and scorpions. Its call is a loud
‘chirurr-chirurr-chirurr’ which ends in a ‘chirwak-chirwak’.
These owls are cavity nesters and females will lay 3 to 5 eggs at a time. Incubation lasts for 26 to 31 days and both parents share incubation duties. It is listed under ‘Least Concern’ in the IUCN Red List, since its population has remained stable over the years.
Picture Credit : Google
