Spotted Owlet

Athene brama (Temminck, 1821)

20 cmLength112 gWeight

This tiny owl has a gray-brown back densely sprinkled with white spots and a white supercilium.

Busiest months: February · Most records: India, Nepal, Thailand

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Back gray-brown, densely covered in white spots
Supercilium and area between the eyes white
Flanks with brown barring, center of belly pure white
Iris yellow

Male, female and young

Sexes similar in appearance.

Voice

Harsh, loud calls, beginning with “chirurr-chirurr” and ending with “chirwak-chirwak”.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: February · Most records: India, Nepal, Thailand

Spotted Owlet has been recorded at 364 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 9 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

GKVK CampusIndia3,657 records
Bharatpur – Keoladeo Ghana NPIndia3,389 records
Sangla and AreaNepal1,683 records

More places

Rishi Valley – School CampusIndia1,520 records
Lalbagh Botanical GardensIndia1,498 records
Doddanekundi KereIndia1,389 records
Sultanpur National ParkIndia1,285 records
Vetal Tekdi/HillIndia1,262 records
Fergusson College CampusIndia1,062 records
Rabindra SarovarIndia1,007 records

Countries and regions with the most records

India Nepal Thailand Bangladesh Cambodia Pakistan Myanmar (Burma)Bhutan

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The spotted owlet (Athene brama) is a small owl which breeds in tropical Asia from North Pakistan to Southeast Asia. A common resident of open habitats including farmland and human habitation, it has adapted to living in cities. They roost in small groups in the hollows of trees or in cavities in rocks and buildings.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia