Red-chested Owlet
Glaucidium tephronotum
Chunky owlet with a gray head and spotted, rufous-washed underparts. There are three white spots on top of the tail which can be conspicuous in flight. Found in humid forest. Often active and vocal during the day, when it is often mobbed by angry flocks of songbirds. The main call is a very slow series of hoots. Similar in structure to Sjöstedt's Owlet, but smaller, without bars below.
Identification
The red-chested owlet is a very small owl, which has a light grey facial disc with whitish markings and short white eyebrows. The head and neck are dark grey and the back and wings are sooty brown. The long tail has three faint bars, the upper breast and flanks have a reddish-brown wash, while the remainder of the underparts are whitish with rufous streaks on the side of the belly. The iris and bill are yellow. Length is about 14 cm (5.5 in) and wingspan is about 35 cm (14 in).<p>The call of the red-chested owlet is a series of up to 20 high-pitched whistling notes.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Glaucidium tephronotum
- Authority
- Sharpe, 1875
- Order
- Strigiformes
- Family
- Strigidae
- Genus
- Glaucidium
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The red-chested owlet is mainly nocturnal but will hunt and call on overcast afternoons; it roosts in cavities in trees during the day. The main food is insects such as beetles, mantises, grasshoppers, moths and cockroaches, as well as small mammals and birds. Its breeding behaviour is almost unknown but it is thought to nest in the old nesting cavities created by woodpeckers or barbets.
Conservation
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List, classifies the red-chested owlet as least concern, since the population is believed to be stable and has a sizable range.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Flame-faced Tanager
Tangara parzudakii
An unmistakable small tanager with bright red-orange face that fades to yellow on the crown and nape. Also note black ear patch, black back, opalescent greenish underparts and shoulder patch, and tawny vent. East slope birds are brighter red on the face, whereas west slope birds are more orange. Occurs from about 1,200–2,500 m, within forest or at edges or clearings. Found in pairs or small groups within mixed-species flocks, usually in the canopy. Visits fruit feeders.
Redthroat
Pyrrholaemus brunneus
Small gray scrubwrenlike bird with a fine bill, usually observed in shrubland, including mulga woodlands. Gray-brown above, paler below. Female pale around the face and throat; male has small rusty-red throat patch. Usually feeds on or near the ground. Larger than thornbills and rather plump, more like a whiteface. Song a sustained warbling, trilling medley, with buzzing and mimicking mixed in.
Slaty-backed Thrush
Geokichla schistacea
An unmistakable black, white, and gray thrush. Gray upperparts and black head marked with bold white cheek patch and long white eyebrow. Throat and chest black and belly clean white, peppered with black spots on the upper part. Occurs in forest, where it forages on the ground but often perches in trees just below the canopy, particularly when singing. Confined to the Tanimbar Islands. Complex song is a sequence of melodious whistled stanzas, mostly upslurred at the start, and interspersed with quick “chew-chew-chew” phrases.
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