Red-chested Owlet
Rotbrust- pygmy owl (right) and Guatemala pygmy owl (left)
The red-breast - pygmy owl ( Glaucidium tephronotum ) is a small owl species of the genus Sperlingskäuze. It comes exclusively in Africa south of the Sahara before.
Appearance and voice
The red-breast - pygmy reaches a height 17-18 centimeters. The head is round and ear tufts are missing.
The body top is dark brown or grayish. Forehead and crown white, no stains. In the neck there is a faint Occipitalgesicht. The underparts are whitish. The sides of breast and flanks are rusty brown wash over to orange. From the sides of the neck to the belly he is spotted dark. The eyes are yellow and the legs feathered.
Area of distribution and habitat
The red-breast - pygmy owl is found in West Africa from Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, South Cameroon and the Congo Basin to Uganda and to the west of Kenya. He is a state bird, the preferred primary forests and shrub land populated at altitudes of 2150 meters above sea level.
Way of life
The red-breast - pygmy owl is crepuscular and nocturnal. He sits in tree cavities, but hunts on cloudy days and during the day. The food spectrum consists mainly of insects. He eats, among other beetles, praying mantises, moths and cockroaches. But he also suggests small mammals up to the size of small rats and small birds. The reproductive habits are largely unexplored. It breeds probably in nest boxes.