Fun Pearl Spotted Owlet Facts For Kids

The pearl spotted owl is one of the smallest owls found in Southern Africa. The pearl spotted owlet, Glaucidium perlatum was studied and named by Veilliot in 1817.

This name was given to the bird due to the appearance of white pearl like spots on their shoulder beside the head (pearl spotted) and extremely small size (owlet). It is also known as the African pearl-spotted owlet and in French, it is called chevêchette perlée.

Their distribution is quite widespread and is found in dense savannah regions, sub Sahara desert, and lowland. They mainly consume invertebrates.

They have exceptional hunting skills and are even capable of hunting laughing doves, which is incredible given their size. This Southern African bird has two white spots on its nape which tricks everybody into thinking that it's the eye.

If you are someone who loves owls check out these articles on amaze-wing facts about whiskered screech owls and flammulated owls.

Pearl Spotted Owlet Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a pearl spotted owlet?

The pearl spotted owlet (Glaucidium perlatum) is a small sized bird belonging to the family Strigidae. These owls are carnivores and mainly prey on insects, birds, and mammals.

What class of animal does a pearl spotted owlet belong to?

Pearl spotted owlet belongs to the Aves class, the Chordata phylum, and the Glaucidium genus.

How many pearl spotted owlets are there in the world?

This species has a large range and their population trend is stable. There are approximately more than 10,000 mature birds. The precise population count is not known as of now.

Where does a pearl spotted owlet live?

The habitat of pearl spotted owlet is semi open woodland and grassland in South Africa. It shies away from the driest parts of the Sub Sahara desert.

The wide distribution of this species is observed in northern and central Namibia, Northern South Africa, and Mozambique and tend to favor the open savannah and inhabit areas with mild woodland in southern Africa and strictly stay away from the damp forest and long grasslands in northern Africa.

What is a pearl Spotted Owlet's habitat?

Their typical habitat range includes semi open woodland and bushveld. These owlets are mainly seen resting on treetops and tree holes in the open savannah. They avoid open grassland and dense forest.

Who do pearl spotted owlets live with?

They are typical loners who only live in pairs during the breeding season. The parents will even drive their young ones away in a few weeks. This owl is extremely territorial and fiercely defends its zone.

How long does a pearl spotted owlet live?

Chevêchette perlée generally lives longer which can go up to 18 years in the wild. Their lifespan in captivity is reduced to around 15 years.

How do they reproduce?

The pearl spotted owlet (Glaucidium perlatum) is an oviparous species, which means it reproduces by depositing eggs. The female owl lays two to four eggs mainly in tree holes already created by woodpeckers, in the nests of other birds or nest boxes during their mating season, which begins in mid-August and lasts until the end of November.

They follow a 'first come, first served' policy and frequently compete for tree holes and other breeding sites with hornbills and bees. After the white eggs are deposited, both parents incubate them for about 31 days, with the male bringing food the majority of the time.

The parents feed the chicks for the following 21-31 days.

The young owl has difficulties flying at this age, so they stay in nearby bush regions hiding from predators where their parents can keep an eye on them. In a year, they reach sexual maturity.

What is their conservation status?

Since their distribution is quite wide and dense and does not face a decline of more than 10% in the next three generations the International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed the pearl spotted owlet in the Least Concern category.

Pearl Spotted Owlet Fun Facts

What do pearl spotted owlets look like?

This is one of the smallest owls in Southern Africa. This bird has a cinnamon brown head and a gray white facial disk embedded with large yellow eyes.

The brown tail feathers have white stripes while the flight feathers are dark brown lightly streaked accompanied by off white spots. The underparts have markings and are heavily spotted.

The nape has two black big spots with white rims tricking that deceive us into thinking they are the eyes often referred to as false eyes. Ear tuffs (horns above the facial disk) are absent.

The feet and bill are a pale yellow color, with a dark brown bulbous region above the beak. The head is spherical and the toes are brownish yellow sharp talons having dark ends are present.

The young owl is mild brown and has fewer white spots on the crown. Their tail and head are also small.

How cute are they?

A range of brown colors can be observed in these birds. This species is enthralling due to the blend of brown, black, and white and the pearl like white spots on its back, right below the head. The pearl spotted owl is one of a kind, and its small stature makes them charming.

How do they communicate?

The pearl spotted owlet (Glaucidium perlatum) communicates by calling. They are vocal birds especially at night times when they are quite active. The bird is identified by a series of 'ftu-ftu-ftu-ftu-ftu' notes with gradually increasing pitch and volume.

The alarm call 'peepooh peepooh' is repetitive and low pitched. The female calls are higher pitched than that of males. At night mates fancy performing romantic duets before breeding.

How big is a pearl spotted owlet?

It is one of the small birds in southern Africa that grow up to 6.6-8 in (17–21 cm). Their tail length is 2.5-3.3 in (6.4-8.2 cm) and has a wingspan of 3.9-4.8 in (10-11.8 cm). They are slightly bigger than the elf owl (smallest owl in the world).

How fast can a pearl spotted owlet fly?

The exact flight speed of this bird is not known.

How much does a pearl spotted owlet weigh?

The average weight of this bird is 7 oz (200 g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

These owls do not have sex-specific names for their male and female counterparts. There is no obvious sexual dimorphism found between the male and female, however, female birds tend to have a higher pitched call and are slightly bigger than the male birds.

What would you call a baby pearl spotted owlet?

A baby pearl spotted owlet baby is called a hatchling just after hatching, and after that, they are called young owls or owlets.

What do they eat?

Unlike other owls, it hunts both during the day and at night. Their diet is mostly composed of invertebrates. It mainly hunts tiny birds, small mammals, reptiles, rodents, and amphibians which makes up the remainder of its diet.

The majority of hunting is done from treetops. The predators of this species, northern goshawks, Great Horned Owls, Cooper's, large raptors, red tailed Hawks, often target them due to their size. Pearl spotted owlet eggs are eaten by fishers.

Are they dangerous?

Unless provoked, owls are not dangerous. Despite the fact that spotted owls have never attacked humans, it is best to remain at a safe distance because they are aggressive birds of prey.

Would they make a good pet?

This owl is not comfortable with a pet. The pearl spotted owl is a typical carnivore, requiring meat in its diet, and supplying them on a daily basis is a difficult undertaking.

Furthermore, since this species only live and breed in woodland and nest holes, a sudden shift in the environment may drive them to be more hostile. It hunts in the dark and is very active at night, which might be disturbing.

Did you know...

When this owl detects danger, it flutters its tail sideways.

To ward of enemies, they appear out of the blue startling them.

This owl has two identified subspecies. Glaucidium perlatum perlatum which is found in Senegambia and southern Liberia and Glaucidium perlatum licua extends from southern Africa to Northern South Africa, Angola, and Namibia.

Are pearl spotted owlets endangered?

The pearl spotted owl is not endangered now and there are no threats in the immediate future either as only a 10% decline in their population within the next 10 years is suspected. The IUCN has placed them in the Least Concern category.

How do you identify a pearl spotted owlet?

The false eyes on their nape is a major identification trait. Apart from this, their unique pearl spotted owlet calls help us track the bird easily.

The crowded white spots and streaks on their underparts.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these burrowing owl facts and  Rufous owl facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Pearl spotted scops owlet bird coloring pages.