Collared Owlet

Facts about Collared Owlet. The Collared Owlet is a pygmy owl. The Collared Owlet is the smallest in Asia and one of the smallest in the world. The Collared Owlet is also called the Collared Pygmy Owl. "Scientific name for Collared Owlet is Glaucidium brodiei". There are four recognized subspecies: Glaucidium brodiei borneese, Glaucidium brodiei brodiei, Glaucidium brodiei pardalotum, and Glaucidium brodiei sylvaticum. All of the subspecies were identified before 1900.
The original Glaucidium brodiei species was identified by Burton in 1836. Glaucidium brodiei sylvaticum and Glaucidium brodiei borneese may be eliminated as subspecies and classified simply as Glaucidium brodiei brodiei.
This species was originally called Noctua Brodiei.

Physical Description of Collared Owlet

The Collared Owlet is the smallest owl in Asia. The largest specimens approach six inches (15.2 cm) in high and two ounces in weight.
The Collared Owlet has a pale brown face with strong white “eyebrows”. The Collared Owlet has light yellow eyes.
The Collared Owlet's bill is greenish yellow that is darker at the base. Its cere ranges from blue to green.
The Collared Owlet has a white chin and white “mustache”. The Collared Owlet's toes are greenish yellow to olive grey. The claws are darker yellow.
Its upper breast is grey and brown. The Collared Owlet has a half collar on the back of the neck. That collar is light brown. It has a black patch to create an occipital face, also called “false eyes”.
The Collared Owlet's crown and neck are grey brown or reddish-brown (a coloring called rufous). It has broken bars and white spots. The rest of the Collared Owlet is grey or blackish-brown, though the primary feathers are barred with white or off-white. Its tail is dark brown with white or reddish-beige bars.
The Collared Owlet’s under-parts are off white with red or grey tints or simply white. Its underparts have dark bars on the sides that decrease and number toward the lower flank.

Behavior of Collared Owlets

The Collared Owlet is diurnal, most active at twilight and sunrise. Collared Owlets will sometimes hunt during the day though they will be mobbed by smaller birds. This is because the Collared Owlet will hunt smaller birds, though it also eats mice, reptiles and large insects.
The Collared Owlet alternates rapid wing beats with gliding.
The Collared Owlet’s song is a four note whistle repeated every few seconds, starting soft before growing louder. It bobs its head while signing.
Collared Owlets breeding season depends on where it lives. The breeding season in Nepal is around April and May. In the warmer, wetter portions of its range, breeding season can range from March to June.
They lay their clutch of three to five eggs in an unlined nest inside a tree hole. Collared Owlets regularly use natural tree hollows or abandoned woodpecker holes.

Habitat of Collared Owlet

The Collared Owlets live in submontane and montane forests with a mixture of open spaces. They are found at elevations up to 9,000 feet (2743 meters).

Range of Collared Owlets

The Collared Owlet is found across Asia. The Collared Owlet is found in the Himalayan hills of Tibet and Bhutan, in India, China, Indonesia and across the Indonesian Archipelago to Borneo. Glaucidium brodiei brodiei is found in the Himalayas to peninsular Malaysia. G. b. sylvaticum is found in Sumatra. G. b. borneense is found in Borneo.
Because of Collared Owlets wide range, it is considered of least concern by the IUCN.

Trivia of Collared Owlet

The Glaucidium brodiei pardalotum subspecies is paler than the others, and may eventually be classified as a separate species.