Chestnut-backed Owlet
Glaucidium castanotum
Small owl lacking ear tufts, with chestnut mantle and pale belly with streaked flanks. Crepuscular and diurnal, occurring singly or in pairs in wet rainforest, or neighboring woods. Chestnut back and streaked flanks of Chestnut-backed Owlet separate it from the similar Jungle Owlet, and Chestnut-backed also prefers the wetter region of the island. Call is a series of barbet like “kurr-kurr-kurr” notes, often followed by harsh “kao-kao” yaps, similar to Jungle Owlet, but slightly lower-pitched.
Identification
The chestnut-backed owlet is small and stocky, measuring 19 cm (7.5 in) in length. It resembles the jungle owlet in shape, size and appearance but the upperparts, scapulars and wing coverts are mainly chestnut brown, with darker barring. The underparts are white with blackish shaft-streaks. The facial disc is mainly brown and the eyes are yellow. There is a white neckband. Sexes are similar in appearance, with no sexual dimorphism.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Glaucidium castanotum
- Authority
- (Blyth, 1851)
- Order
- Strigiformes
- Family
- Strigidae
- Genus
- Glaucidium
Range and habitat
The chestnut-backed owlet is a common resident bird in the wet zone forests of Sri Lanka, and can be seen easily at sites such as Kitulgala and Sinharaja. Historical reports of its distribution by Legge include many parts of the southern half of Sri Lanka, especially the hills and the wet-zone low country extending to the outskirts of Colombo. In recent times, its range has shrunk greatly, and it is now found sparingly in the remaining forests of the wet zone and the adjoining hills at altitudes of up to 6,500 ft (2,000 m) above sea level.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
This species is diurnal and is frequently seen in the day, especially in the evening. The flight is deeply undulating. It can often be located by the small birds that mob it while it is perched in a tree. It frequents tops of tall trees, usually on steep hill-sides and hence is often missed. It feeds mainly on insects, such as beetles, but also captures mice, small lizards, and small birds mostly when the young are being fed. The call is a slow kraw-kraw and carries for a long distance. It nests in a hole in a tree, laying two eggs.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Pine Flycatcher
Empidonax affinis
Small flycatcher of pine-oak forest and edge in highlands; often in clearings and orchards with small deciduous trees (often not in pines). Other Empidonax flycatchers occur alongside Pine Flycatcher, especially very similar Dusky and Hammond’s Flycatchers, which are winter migrants. On Pine, note the bright pale teardrop-shaped eyering similar to Hammond’s and an entirely pale orangish underside to the bill (like Cordilleran Flycatcher, which is greener and has a broader bill ). Call is a rather quiet “pwip,” somewhat similar to Dusky but very distinct from Hammond’s.
Dot-winged Antwren
Microrhopias quixensis
This species inhabits humid forest and edge in tropical lowlands. Usually found in pairs or small groups, moving actively in vine tangles and leafy thickets at low to middle levels in understory and edge. Both sexes distinctive with bold white dots on the wings and a graduated, white-tipped tail. Male is black overall. Female is slaty gray above and rich rusty below.
Malawi Batis
Batis dimorpha
A cute, dumpy, colorful flycatcher-like bird that flits around in the mid-canopy and understory of forest, forest edge, plantations, and gardens. Males have a broad black chest band, yellow-orange eye, white stripe through the top of the wing, and white throat. Females have an orange eye, buff-and-white stripe through the top of the wing, and rufous chin patch. The song is a series of 8-9 plaintive steady piping “peooop” notes, and calls include buzzing grating “ddrz-drrzt-drrr, ddt-ddzt-drzt-drr”. Female Dark Batis is distinguished by its darker (rich rufous rather than white and buff) wing stripe. Male Dark Batis is very similar, but has a slightly longer tail and broader black breast stripe. Also similar to Chinspot Batis, but has darker orange color to the eyes, and female Malawi Batis shows paler rufous on the throat and buff tinges to the wing stripe.
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