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Photo: lin padgham · CC BY 2.0 · source ↗
African Barred Owlet
Gebande Uil · Glaucidium capense
A plump, round-headed little owl, more barred and less spotted than the Pearl-spotted Owlet. It favours dense and riverine woodland, hunting insects, frogs, reptiles and small birds, often around dusk. Its soft, purring and clucking calls are most often heard at first light or nightfall.
Log your African Barred Owlet sighting — free →How to identify it
Small round-headed owl barred grey-brown on head and chest with spotted flanks; lacks the Pearl-spotted's nape eyespots.
Listen for its call
A soft, purring 'kroo-kroo-kroo', slow and evenly spaced.
Where to see it in Kruger
Riverine and dense woodland, especially in the north, roosting and calling from leafy cover.
Did you know
It will sometimes hunt in the late afternoon, snatching insects and even small birds.
Often confused with
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