Spotted Owlet

BirdAsia

Sep 5

Written By Alexander Julius Jensen

Athene brama

While the spotted owlet is nocturnal, it can sometimes be seen during the day — it will bob its head and stare intensely at anyone who bothers it. This owlet can be located by watching for the small birds that often mob it or — during dusk and dawn — by the owlet's “chirurr-chirurr-chirurr” chuckle.

An Adorable Assassin

The word 'owlet' is usually used to describe a young or baby owl; with big bulbous eyes, fluffy down feathers, and small stature. But out of the 250 or so owl species, a few are commonly referred to as 'owlets'. These aren't Peter Pan birds that never mature — they do grow into adults, just tiny, childlike adults.

The spotted owlet is one such species. Its body is compact — covered in spots and flecks as per its name — and its tail is stubby. Its head is big and round. Its eyes resemble large, yellow spotlights; adorned with white eyebrows above and a neck-band below. This owlet can sometimes be seen trying to look intimidating, like a fierce predator, squinting its eyes in a piercing glare, but it's hard to fear a raptor that's barely 21 cm (8.3 in) tall. ¹

But to other, tiny creatures, this owlet is a murderous nightmare on silent wings. It leaves its roost at dawn and dusk to hunt, screaming its battle cry into the dim sky; a “chirurr-chirurr-chirurr” chuckle accompanied by loud whistles and squeals. All the little critters cower. It seizes insects in midair, swooping past swarming street lights. It kills its competition by snatching hunting bats. It pulls worms from the soil and battles scorpions to the death (the death of the scorpions). It impales small snakes and toads with its talons. It stakes out sewers to catch plump rats. And it even hunts other small birds. The spotted owlet is an adorable killer.

Day Owl

One of the owls in Benchakitti Park (Bangkok) staring me down for disturbing its peace.

Typical for an owl, the spotted owlet is crepuscular (active during dawn and dusk) and nocturnal. ² But it can sometimes be spotted during the day; perching on a branch or sitting snugly inside a tree hollow. There is a pair of spotted owlets that I visit frequently in a park in Bangkok (Benchakitti Park), for example, and going in the morning, I often see one or both perched on a gnarled branch near their hollow nest, looking dramatic as the rising sun paints them with golden light. They don't appreciate interlopers, however. While they can't do much to fend off a comparatively giant human, they'll bob their heads and stare, round-eyed and intense, at anyone who disturbs them. The owlets themselves aren't very popular among their neighbours — on account of them regularly murdering their neighbours. As such, when the owlets are out and about during the day, out of their element, they're often mobbed and pestered by countless small birds trying to chase them away.

Owl of the Gods

A little owl (*Athene noctua*) on the top and an Athenian tetradrachm on the bottom, depicting Athena on one side and an owl on the other.

The scientific name of the spotted owlet is an amalgam of two gods from two different mythologies. The owlet's specific name, brama, comes from the Hindu creator god Brahma — referencing the owl's home on the Indian subcontinent, although it also ranges into Mainland Southeast Asia. Its genus name, Athene, references Athena; the Greek goddess of wisdom and war. However, the closest the spotted owlet comes to Greece is a population along the south coast of Iran.

The genus Athene contains nine species of owl; with the forest owlet sharing the spotted owlet's range in India, the white-browed owl marooned on Madagascar, the burrowing owl alone in the New World, and four species on the Solomon Islands, east of Papua New Guinea in the Pacific Ocean. The type species of the Athene genus is the little owl, also known as the 'Owl of Athena'. Its range covers much of Europe (including Greece), North Africa, and Asia. This owl is an iconic symbol of the wisdom goddess, featuring in a bronze statue from the 5th-century B.C. and a Greek tetradrachm coin from 500 B.C., representing the goddess Athena on one side and a little owl on the other — the owl from this ancient coin is copied on the modern Greek one-euro coin.

An Urban Lifestyle

An endangered forest owlet (*Athene blewitti*) — it is estimated that less than 1,000 individuals survive in the wild.

The spotted owlet is considered to be of 'least concern' by the IUCN. Its range is broad and it adapts well to urban life. In many cities, this owlet has substituted trees for concrete buildings and lamp posts. As mentioned before, the owlet will take advantage of urban prey; catching street-light-hypnotised insects and hunting the abundant rodents. Urban owlets feed their chicks cockroaches and, as they mature, house mice. Data seems to indicate that nests closer to humans show higher breeding success rates due to the increased availability of food.

The spotted owlet's adaptability can be contrasted against its Indian relative, the forest owlet. With a preference for teak trees and an aversion to urban habitats, this severe-looking owl now clings to a few remaining patches of forest in Central India — it's considered endangered, with likely less than 1,000 individuals left in the wild.

But, even for the adaptable spotted owlet, urban life has its drawbacks. The owlet needs cavities in which to nest — typically the hollows of banyan or neem trees, or fruit trees like mango, coconut, and tamarind (large trees with wide canopies and much foliage). Without them, it is vulnerable to attack from larger birds like crows and mynas. Trees are generally few and far between in cities, while crows and mynas are abundant. At the same time, the spotted owlet's habitat outside of cities is falling to deforestation. A species of 'least concern' today can become a threatened one tomorrow — that's why monitoring and keeping records of populations is so important. Let's not let the spotted owlet go the way of its forest cousin. Instead, we can make space — by providing them with adequate trees for perching and nesting — and ensure the future of these little assassins.

An elf owl (*Micrathene whitneyi*); the world's smallest owl species.

¹ The spotted owlet may be small, but it's not the smallest of its kind. You might expect that to be its close cousin, the little owl, given its name, but the two species are pretty similar in size: both between 21 and 23 cm in length (8–9 in). The world's smallest owl is actually the elf owl, at around 13 cm (5 in) in length — about the size of a juice box or soda can. But, not only is it the teeniest owl, it's also the world's smallest raptor.

Daytime Owls

² Night-time is part of an owl's uncanny identity. It is a spook of the night. An unseen killer, delivering death in the dark. Its full-moon eyes catch the smallest trickles of light and its keen hearing functions in pitch black. Indeed, the owl gives its name to those that thrive in the dark hours — the "night owls". But, are all 250 owl species nocturnal? The answer is no, but the exceptions to nocturnality are few.

Clockwise from top left; a snowy owl (*Bubo scandiacus*), burrowing owl (*Athene cunicularia*), northern hawk-owl (*Surnia ulula*), and northern pygmy owl (*Glaucidium gnoma*).

The burrowing owl — named for its unusual habit of roosting in subterranean burrows — can often be seen during the day; popping out of its burrow, standing on its stilt-like legs, and gazing about its flat grassy or desert habitat. It retreats back below ground to avoid the midday heat. And it still prefers to hunt by dark, usually under cover of dusk or dawn, when it swoops and sprints after insects and rodents.

The snowy owl is a product of its circumstances; those being its bitterly cold northern range and the seasonal variation in daylight at high latitudes. The snowy owl can't afford to be selective — to choose either day or night — since, in parts of its range (in the Polar Circle for instance), winter brings an unending night, while summer brightens the sky for 24 hours a day. And so the snowy owl can hunt, must hunt, during both night and day.

Two owl species are predominantly diurnal. The first is the northern hawk-owl — the only species within its genus (Surnia). It's at home in the cold conifer forest of northern North America. In these forests, all the little creatures know to fear this fierce-faced raptor. It hunts mammals in summer; snatching mice and voles, shrews, squirrels, and small weasels. In winter, it feeds on feathered prey; mostly small songbirds. And it supplements its varied diet with crunchy and slimy snacks; with insects, frogs, and small fish. Daytime brings no safety for these forest critters, as that is primarily when the hawk-owl hunts. The second species is the northern pygmy owl. This rotund, little owlet hunts amongst the conifers of western North America. It both ambushes and actively pursues its prey, but it doesn't require darkness to conceal itself. This owl seems to have a particular preference for songbirds, which are active during the day, perhaps partly explaining its diurnal habits. While these two owls are the most diurnal of their kind, they will still occasionally hunt crepuscularly; during dawn and dusk.

You can learn more about the other 250 or so owl species here!

**Where Does It Live?**

⛰️ Open habitats with trees, including farmland and urban parks.
📍 From Iran to Pakistan, throughout the Indian subcontinent, and much of mainland Southeast Asia.

‘Least Concern’ as of 01 October, 2016.

IUCN

Size // Small
Wingspan // Around 50 cm (20 in)
Length // 21 cm (8.3 in)
Weight // 110 - 115 grams (4 oz)
Activity: Nocturnal & Crepuscular 🌙
Lifestyle: Social 👥
Lifespan: N/A
Diet: Carnivore
Favorite Food: Anything alive and small enough to eat
Class: Aves
Order: Strigiformes
Family: Strigidae
Genus: Athene
Species: A. brama

The spotted owlet is commonly seen in urban habitats where it takes full advantage of city life. It catches insects and bats from below streetlights, feeds cockroaches to its chicks, and stakes out sewers for rodents.
Spotted owlet nests found closer to human habitation tend to be more successful, likely owing to the higher abundance of food.
The scientific name of the spotted owl (Athene brama) is comprised of two gods from two different mythologies. Its genus name, Athene, references Athena; the Greek goddess of wisdom and war. Its specific name, brama, comes from the Hindu creator god Brahma.
While the spotted owlet is small — barely 21 cm (8.3 in) tall — it's not the smallest owl species. That title belongs to the elf owl; coming in at around 13 cm (5 in).
The spotted owlet lives in open habitats throughout much of Asia; from Iran to the Indian subcontinent to mainland Southeast Asia.
Before it leaves its hollow to hunt at dawn and dusk, it emits a loud “chirurr-chirurr-chirurr” chuckle-like call.
The spotted owlet needs tree cavities for nesting and hiding. It uses these hollows to avoid larger birds such as crows and mynas.