Jungle Owlet

Squat little owl with dense barring all over the body. Lacks the false eyes on the back of the head possessed by many other owlets. Gives bursts of loud hollow trills, comparable to barbets, as well as a mellow “kaaaooo-kaaaaooo-kah-ow!” A forest species, found in densely wooded areas in lowlands and foothills. Most active at dawn and dusk.

In Sri Lanka, the Jungle Owlet primarily inhabits the drier forests of the country, often found in mixed deciduous forests, scrublands, and foothills, sometimes even near agricultural fields; unlike the closely related Chestnut-backed Owlet which is more prevalent in the wet zone forests of Sri Lanka.

In Sri Lanka, the Jungle Owlet primarily feeds on a diet consisting of insects like beetles, grasshoppers, locusts, and cicadas, but also includes small birds, reptiles (like lizards), and small rodents, making it a carnivorous predator that hunts from perches in the jungle canopy.