Collared Owlet Taenioptynx brodiei Scientific name definitions

A tiny owl that often sings its distinctive tooting song by day, when its status as the nemesis of small montane forest birds is confirmed by the mobbing it attracts. It is most readily distinguished from the larger, mostly sympatric Asian Barred Owlet (Glaucidium cuculoides) by its spotted rather than barred crown and, when the rear of the head can be seen, by the false face pattern there that is thought to deflect attack from the real face. The Collared Owlet is a largely diurnal hunter that feeds mainly on birds but also takes large insects, rodents, and lizards. The species is now known to be only distantly related to the genus Glaucidium though, and it forms a truly remarkable case of convergent evolution. It is more closely related to two monospecific Neotropical genera of tiny owls, Micrathene and Xenoglaux, rather than to Glaucidium, hence the resurrection of Taenioptynx. Until very recently, the Sunda Owlet (Taenioptynx sylvaticus) of Sumatra and Borneo was considered conspecific with the Collared Owlet, but its song is notably different.

15–17 cm; male c. 53 g (n = 2), female c. 63 g (n = 1) (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Tiny owl with rounded head, large for size of body. Widely thought to occur in rufous and grey-brown colour morphs, but recent study showed colour variation is age-related, the rufous "morphs" being juveniles that eventually attain definitive greyish plumage (2 Lin, W.-L., Lin, S.-M. and Tseng, H.Y. (2014). Colour morphs in the Collared Pygmy Owl Glaucidium brodiei are age-related, not a polymorphism. Ardea. 102(1): 95-99. Close ). Crown spotted creamy-buff, with staring “dorsal face” on nape; white eyebrows, white throat patch; back, tail and flight-feathers barred dark brown and buff; scapulars tipped white, forming interrupted lines down sides of mantle; breast sides and flanks barred, belly sides streaked; irides golden-yellow; cere greenish to bluish; bill greenish-yellow, darkest at base; tarsi feathered white; toes greenish-yellow. Resembles a miniature version of the partially sympatric G. cuculoides, which lacks the "dorsal face" and has a less densely barred tail (3 Rasmussen, P. C., and J. C. Anderton (2005). Birds of South Asia: the Ripley Guide. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. Close ). Juvenile has vertical tear-drop marks on upper breast.

Has sometimes been considered part of a species-group centered on G. passerinum (which see). Proposed subspecies garoense (from W Meghalaya, in NE India) included in nominate. Name peritum is a synonym of sylvaticum. Until very recently, Sundaic forms sylvaticum and borneense were treated as conspecific but are now united in a separate species, T. sylvaticum (4 Eaton, J. A., B. van Balen, N. W. Brickle, and F. E. Rheindt (2016). Birds of the Indonesian Archipelago: Greater Sundas and Wallacea. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. Close , 5 Gwee, C. Y., J. A. Eaton, E. Y. X. Ng, and F. E. Rheindt (2019). Species delimitation within the Glaucidium brodiei owlet complex using bioacoustic tools. Avian Research 10:36. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40657-019-0175-4 Close ). Two subspecies are now recognized.

A recent phylogenetic analysis has shown that brodiei sensu lato is not a member of the genus Glaucidium, instead being part of a clade that includes Micrathene and Xenoglaux (6 Salter, J. F., C. H. Oliveros, P. A. Hosner, J. D. Manthey, M. B. Robbins, R. G. Moyle, R. T. Brumfield, and B. C. Faircloth (2020). Extensive paraphyly in the typical owl family (Strigidae). Auk: Ornithological Advances 137:1–15. Close ). The genus Taenioptynx Kaup, 1848 has now been resurrected for brodiei and the newly split sylvaticum (5 Gwee, C. Y., J. A. Eaton, E. Y. X. Ng, and F. E. Rheindt (2019). Species delimitation within the Glaucidium brodiei owlet complex using bioacoustic tools. Avian Research 10:36. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40657-019-0175-4 Close ).

Closely related to Sunda Owlet T. sylvaticum, and in the same clade as the New World monotypic genera Elf Owl Micrathene whitneyi and Long-whiskered Owlet Xenoglaux loweryi (6 Salter, J. F., C. H. Oliveros, P. A. Hosner, J. D. Manthey, M. B. Robbins, R. G. Moyle, R. T. Brumfield, and B. C. Faircloth (2020). Extensive paraphyly in the typical owl family (Strigidae). Auk: Ornithological Advances 137:1–15. Close ).

Himalayas from northeastern Afghanistan through northeastern India and hills south of the Brahmaputra River, through most of central and southeastern China, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia, including the highlands of Peninsular Malaysia.

Montane and submontane forest (including oaks, rhododendrons, firs (3 Rasmussen, P. C., and J. C. Anderton (2005). Birds of South Asia: the Ripley Guide. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. Close ) ), open forest edge, woodland and scrub, mostly from 1350–2750 m elevation (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) but occasionally up to 2900 m (3 Rasmussen, P. C., and J. C. Anderton (2005). Birds of South Asia: the Ripley Guide. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. Close ). Occurs only up to 1800 m in Malay Peninsula and near cultivation as low as c. 700 m in China.

Resident; some elevational movements suspected.

Takes a variety of small prey types, especially birds (3 Rasmussen, P. C., and J. C. Anderton (2005). Birds of South Asia: the Ripley Guide. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. Close ), but also insects, rodents and lizards (including skinks). Relative to size of owl, fairly large birds taken, including adult and nestling barbets (Capitonidae), woodpeckers (Picidae) and thrushes (Turdidae); often takes nestlings. One of the most diurnal members of genus; active around dusk and at night, but also hunts during all hours of day. Hunts from perch , such as fence post; swoops to catch insects in flight. Holds larger prey with foot while tearing at it with bill. Often mobbed by passerines.

Male's territorial song a mellow whistle, hü hü-hü hü or toot toot-toot toot , the second and third notes closer together, and the phrases repeated at short intervals; usually 3–4 series in succession, first and last series softer and incomplete. While singing, male turns head in all directions, giving ventriloquial effect.

Mar–Jun in Himalayas (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); Apr–May elsewhere in range. Nest a tree cavity from 2–10 m above ground (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); sometimes displaces woodpeckers or barbets to acquire cavity (3 Rasmussen, P. C., and J. C. Anderton (2005). Birds of South Asia: the Ripley Guide. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. Close , 1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Clutch usually 4 eggs (3–6); egg size c. 29 mm × 24 mm (1 König, C., F. Weick, and J.-H. Becking (2008). Owls of the World. Second edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); incubation c. 25 days; eggs hatch asychronously; both adults feed nestlings.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). CITES II. Common to fairly common over most of range. Occurs in many widely separated protected areas, including Great Himalayan National Park (India) (7 Gaston, A.J., Garson, P.J. and Pandey, S. (1993). Birds recorded in Great Himalayan National Park, Himachal Pradesh, India. Forktail. 9: 45–57. Close ), Ailao Shan Nature Reserve (China) (8 Wang, Z., C. Carpenter, and S. S. Young (2000). Bird distribution and conservation in the Ailao Mountains, Yunnan, China. Biological Conservation 92(1):45–57. Close ), Khao Yai and Kaeng Krachan National Parks (Thailand), and Hsitou Forest Recreation Area (Taiwan); frequently recorded at Fraser’s Hill in Peninsular Malaysia. Mainly a bird of forested habitats, only occasionally observed near human habitation, so almost surely vulnerable to effects of habitat destruction. Global population size has not been estimated, but rough estimates of 10,000–100,000 breeding pairs each given for China and Taiwan (9 Brazil, M. (2009). Field Guide to the Birds of East Asia: Eastern China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan and Eastern Russia. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).