Pearl-spotted owlet

Description:

a small owl with a rounded head and no ear tufts and a relatively long tail (18 cm of which about 6cm is tail). The head and upper side are brown with white spots (pearls) while the underside is white with brown flecks. There are two 'false eyes' on the back of the head as seen in photo 3 & 4

Habitat:

common resident of thornveld and woodland, found throughout Botswana, west through Namibia and east through Zimbabwe and the northern Limpopo area of South Africa.

Notes:

often mobbed by small birds as it roosts in trees during the day. Pearl-spotted owlets can make mewling sounds like a distressed kitten as well as rather loud ascending tu-tu-tu's that increase in volume to a crescendo and then fall away with descending tuee-tuee . . It is a far reaching call which sounds decidedly blood-curdling from close by.