Jungle pygmy owl
| Jungle pygmy owl | ||||||||||
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Jungle pygmy owl |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Glaucidium radiatum | ||||||||||
| ( Tickell , 1833) |
The jungle pygmy owl ( Glaucidium radiatum , syn .: Taenioglaux radiatum ), also called the jungle owl or jungle owl, is a small species of the pygmy owl ( Glaucidium ). The jungle pygmy owl is a widespread and common species on the Indian subcontinent. Several subspecies are distinguished.
The IUCN classifies the existing situation as safe ( least concern ).
features
The jungle pygmy owl reaches a body length of about 20 centimeters, of which 6.2 to 8.4 centimeters are on the tail. The weight is between 88 and 114 grams. There is no noticeable gender dimorphism , but females tend to be slightly larger.
The face veil is inconspicuous. The chin, short eyebrows and a spot on the chest are white. The top of the body is dark brown with a dense white or pale ocher colored transverse banding. The breast is whitish with a variable amount of rust brown. The underside of the body is otherwise white, while the sides of the body are cross-banded gray-brown. The barrels are feathered.
The eyes are lemon yellow. The wax skin on the beak is bluish, the beak is greenish yellow.
The call of the jungle pygmy owl is a bright trill.
Distribution area and habitat
The distribution area of the jungle pygmy owl is the Indian subcontinent. It occurs from northern India and Burma to Sri Lanka.
In the foothills of the Himalayas it populates moist deciduous forests. It also occurs in secondary forests when there are many types of bamboo. The altitude distribution extends up to 2000 meters on the Indian continent. In Sri Lanka it still occurs at altitudes of 1100 meters.
Way of life
The jungle pygmy owl lives solitary or in pairs. He is mostly in the upper treetop of very tall trees. It is predominantly crepuscular. His activity peak is an hour before dark or at dawn. On cloudy days, he occasionally hunts during the day. On a clear day he can occasionally be seen taking sunbaths in the morning or late afternoon hours. However, he usually spends the hours of the day hidden in the treetop.
The jungle pygmy owl mainly eats insects such as grasshoppers. But it also hunts small lizards, mice and songbirds .
It usually breeds in natural tree hollows or abandoned woodpecker holes. The nest hole is usually three to eight meters above the ground. The clutch consists of three to four eggs.
literature
- del Hoyo, J .; Collar, NJ; Christie, DA; Elliott, A .; Fishpool, LDC 2014: HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International.
- Claus König, Friedhelm Weick, Jan-Hendrik Becking: Owls of the World . 2nd Edition. Christopher Helm, London 2008, ISBN 978-0-7136-6548-2 .
