Spotted owlet

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Spotted owlet
A. b. indica India
A pair calling in Pune

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Strigiformes
Family: Strigidae
Genus: Athene
Species:
A. brama
Binomial name
Athene brama
(Temminck, 1821)
Synonyms

Carine brama
Noctua indica Franklin, 1831

This article is about the bird indigenous to Asia. For the bird indigenous to North America, see Spotted owl.

The spotted owlet (Athene brama) is a small owl which breeds in tropical Asia from mainland India 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. It nests in a hole in a tree or building, laying 3–5 eggs. The species shows great variation including clinal variation in size and forms a superspecies with the very similar little owl.

Description

The spotted owlet is a small and stocky bird, barely 21 cm (8.3 in) in size. The upperparts are grey-brown, heavily spotted with white. The underparts are white, streaked with brown. The facial disc is pale and the iris is yellow. There is a white neckband and supercilium. Sexes are similar. The flight is deeply undulating. The nominate form is darker than the paler forms such as indica of drier regions.[3]

Taxonomy

Early workers sometimes treated members of this species group as subspecies of

Koelz, 1950 of western Asia in Iran and Pakistan; indica (Franklin, 1831) of northern India; brama (Temminck, 1821) of southern India which is darker than indica; ultra Ripley, 1948 (not always recognized) of northeastern India is said to have white spots on the mantle and "higher pitched calls"; and pulchra Hume, 1873 of Southeast Asia from Myanmar and Thailand extending into Cambodia and Vietnam. The northern and southern Indian populations intergrade and there is no dividing boundary. The northern indica populations have the upperparts brownish. Size decreases from north to south. The species is not found in Sri Lanka, although birds on the Indian mainland are found even at the tip of Rameshwaram.[8][9]

Ecology

Behavior

Spotted owlet in Patiala, India at noon in March 2023

This species is nocturnal but is often seen during the day. When disturbed from their daytime site, they bob their head and stare at intruders.[10] Their presence can often be located by the small birds that mob the owlets while they are perching in a tree during daytime.The call is a harsh and loud churring and chuckling chirurr-chirurr-chirurr ending with a chirwak-chirwak and they call mainly during early dawn or just after sunset.[3][11] The brain has a pineal gland, formerly thought to be absent in the owls.[12] Birds show variation in the melatonin concentration between day and night. A high melatonin level is associated with sleep and low levels are associated with high alertness and foraging activity. Spotted owlets, however, show only a slightly lower melatonin concentration at night with a slight increase in the early afternoon. Other owls such as the barn owl show little day-night variation.[13][14] Seasonal changes in glandular activity have been associated with environmental factors such as temperature and humidity.[15]

Feeding

They hunt a variety of insects and small vertebrates. In Pakistan they have been found to take mostly insect prey.

Ramphotyphlops braminus have been noted.[20][21] They may also take scorpions and molluscs.[22] Nests near human habitations may show higher breeding success due to increased availability of rodents for feeding young.[23]

Breeding

The breeding season is November to April.

Bufo stomaticus has been noted in Gujarat). The chicks gain weight during the early stages but lose weight before fledging.[29] Only one or two chicks may fledge and they leave the nest in about a month.[20]

Parasites

A

Apororhynchus chauhani was discovered in the intestine of the spotted owlet.[33]

Spotted owlet pair
Spotted owlet pair

In culture

These birds, being very familiar to humans especially with their loud calling, have been associated with bad omens.[34] The species name brama is from the French name Chouette brame and indirectly refers to this owl's Indian habitat by way of homage to Brahma, the Hindu supreme spirit.[35]

References

  1. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22689332A93227068.en
    . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. ^ a b c Rasmussen PC & JC Anderton (2005). Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide. Vol. 2. Smithsonian Institution & Lynx Edicions. pp. 246–247.
  4. ^ Lan, Yang; Li Gui-yuan (1989). "A New Subspecies of The Athene brama (Spotted Little Owl)—A. b. poikila (Belly-mottled Little Owl)". Zoological Research. 10 (4): 303–308.
  5. ^ Sun, Yue-Hua; Bi Zhong-Lin; Wolfgang Scherzinger (2003). "Belly-mottled little owl Athene brama poikila should be boreal owl (Aegolius funereus beickianus)". Current Zoology. 49 (3): 389–392.
  6. JSTOR 4078958
    .
  7. ^ Baker, ECS (1920). "Notes on a collection of bird-skins formed by Mr. E.G.Herbert, C.M.Z.S, M.B.O.U". J. Nat. Hist. Soc. Siam. 4 (1): 25–43.
  8. ISBN 0-19-562063-1
    .
  9. ^ Baker, E. C. S. (1919). "Descriptions of subspecies of Carine brama". Bulletin B.O.C. 40: 60–61.
  10. ISBN 0-19-561634-0
    .
  11. ^ Brahmachary, R. L.; Basu, T. K.; Sengupta, A. J. (1972). "On the daily screeching time of a colony of spotted owls Athene brama (Temminck)". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 69 (3): 649–651.
  12. PMID 10900433
    .
  13. doi:10.1076/brhm.30.5.508.1400
    .
  14. S2CID 32786182. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on 2007-04-16.
  15. S2CID 85091322
    .
  16. ^ Shah, Z.A. & M.A. Beg (2001). "Food of the Spotted Little Owl (Athene brama) at a place where a cropland and a sandy wasteland met". Pakistan J. Zool. 33: 53–56.
  17. ^ Shah, Z.A. & M.A. Beg (2001). "Food of the Spotted Little Owl (Athene brama) at a place where a cropland and a Sandy wasteland met". Pakistan J. Zool. 33: 53–56.
  18. ^ Beg, M.A.; M. Maqbool & M. Mushtaq–ul–Hassan (1990). "Food habits of spotted owlet, Athene brama". Pakistan J. Agri. Sci. 27: 127–131.
  19. ^ Jain AP; R Advani (1983). "Winter food of spotted owlet, Athene brama indica". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 80 (2): 415–416.
  20. ^
    doi:10.11609/jott.zpj.18.8.1163-5.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  21. doi:10.5122/cbirds.2011.0027
    .
  22. ^ Pande, S.; A. Pawashe; D.B. Bastawade & P.P. Kulkarni (2004). "Scorpions and molluscs: some new dietary records for Spotted Owlet Athene brama in India". Newsletter for Ornithologists. 1 (5): 68–70.
  23. S2CID 85854496
    .
  24. ^ Hassan, Mehmood-ul (2008). "Some observations on behaviour of Spotted Owlet (Athene brama) during its breeding season" (PDF). The Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences. 18 (1): 47–49. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-08-17.
  25. ^ Pravin Charde & Raju Kasambe (2007). "Study of the mounting behaviour of Spotted Owlets Athene brama in Maharashtra, India" (PDF). Abstracts of World Owl Conference.
  26. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.1957.tb01959.x
    .
  27. ^ Kasambe, Raju (2004). "Unusual mounting behaviour of a female Spotted Owlet (Athene brama)". Newsletter for Birdwatchers. 44 (4): 63–64.
  28. ^ Satish Pande; Amit Pawashe; M.N. Mahajan & Anil Mahabal (2006). "Changing nest site preference for holes in earth cuttings in Spotted Owlet Athene brama" (PDF). Indian Birds. 2 (1): 7–8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-20.
  29. PMID 22140335
    .
  30. ^ Chauhan M.P.S.; Jain S.P. (1979). "A new coccidium, Eimeria atheni from a spotted owlet, Athene brama (Temminck)". Rivista di Parassitologia. 40: 167–169.
  31. ^ Fain, Alex & Andre V Bochkov (2001). "On some new or little known species of parasitic Cheyletidae (Acari:Prostigmata)" (PDF). Acarologia. 52 (2): 145–160.
  32. JSTOR 25083305
    .
  33. ^ Sen, J. K. (1975). "On a new species of Apororhynchus Shipley, 1899 (Apororhynchoidea: Apororhynchidae) from India". In Tiwara, K. K.; Srivastava, C. B. (eds.). Dr. B. S. Chauhan Commemorative Volume. Orissa, India: Zoological Society of India. pp. 211–213.
  34. doi:10.1080/0015587X.1910.9719930
    .
  35. ^ Pittie, Aasheesh (2004). "A dictionary of scientific bird names originating from the Indian region" (PDF). Buceros. 9 (2): 1–31. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-04-01. Retrieved 13 December 2009.

Sources

  • Kumar, TS; Rao, JVR (1984). "Diurnal changes in the body temperature of nestling Spotted Owlet, Athene brama brama (T)". Geobios, Jodhpur. 11 (5): 216–218.
  • Lamba, BS; Tyagi, AK (1976). "Incubation period in Northern Spotted Owlet, Athene brama indica (Franklin)". Newsl. Zool. Surv. India. 2 (4): 128–129.
  • Suresh, Kumar T. (1980). The life-history of the Spotted Owlet (Athene brama brama Temminck) in Andhra Pradesh. Raptor Research Centre, Hyderabad. Pub. No. 4.
  • Mahmood-ul-Hassan, Muhammad; Beg, Mirza Azhar; Mushtaq-ul-Hassan, Muhammad; Rana, Shahnaz Ahmed (2007). "Nesting and Breeding Habits of the Spotted Owlet (Athene brama) in Punjab, Pakistan". Journal of Raptor Research. 41 (1): 50–52.
    S2CID 85630448
    .

External links

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