Appearance:

Small, starling sized owl. Smaller than Little Owl. Perches in upright position. Ear-tufts not prominent when relaxed, but gives angular shape to head. Plumage appears uniform, and colour varies from brown to rufous-brown. At closer range, whitish spots on shoulders and yellow eyes with dark surround, are visible. Appears long-winged in flight.

Sound:

Song: a slightly descending, short "klooit". The tone is resonant, clear and pure, unlike Little Owl. Calls uttered endlessly in a frequency of about 20 a minute. Resembles Midwife Toad (Alytes), but is clearly modulated in pitch, as opposed to the toads straight tone.

Song:

Distribution:

Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC

CC-photo:Willem Vergoossen, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Viskens Michel, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Eric SANSAULT, Licence,Link.

Appearance:

Rufous red face, throat and chest, framed in slate grey in adults of both sexes. Olive brown to grey upperparts and dull white underparts. Head rather large, and body rather stocky when plumage puffed, despite thin bill and slender legs. Juveniles lack the red front and are heavily spotted in buff on a dark brown body with barred chest. Adults pretty unmistakable when seen well. Flight usually low and darting, with quick changes of directions before disappearing in thick bushes. Posture usually erect with frequent flicking of tail and wings.

Sound:

Alarm call a thin, electric "tick", often in series with decelerating tempo. Song medium to very high pitched, with mostly clear tones with a liquid quality. Timbre reminiscent of Wren or Dunnock, but with a much more varied structure and tempo. Pitch ranges from very high to low, almost thrush-like, notes. No recognizable motifs. Often ends on a rising or falling pitch, giving it a "Chinese" accent.

Song:

Distribution:

Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC