Chestnut-backed Owlet
Chestnut-backed OwletChestnut-backed OwletChestnut-backed OwletChestnut-backed Owlet

Chestnut-backed Owlet

Glaucidium castanotum

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
20–30% · Possible
overall probability at Sinharaja Forest Reserve
393 Verified records at Sinharaja Forest Reserve
April Best month highest sighting rate
🌅 Crepuscular When it's active at dawn and dusk

The chestnut-backed owlet (Glaucidium castanotum) (often misspelled Glaucidium castanonotum), is an owl which is endemic to Sri Lanka. This species is a part of the larger grouping of owls known as typical owls, Strigidae, which contains most of the smaller owl species. This species was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the jungle owlet. Wikipedia →

20–30% of wildlife watchers report a Chestnut-backed Owlet sighting in Sinharaja Forest Reserve, based on 393 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Sinharaja Forest Reserve

Jungle Owlet
LC

Jungle Owlet

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Glaucidium radiatum

Insufficient data
Serendib Scops Owl
EN

Serendib Scops Owl

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Otus thilohoffmanni

20–30% · Possible
Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl

Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Ketupa nipalensis

<5% · Rare
Brown Boobook
LC

Brown Boobook

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Ninox scutulata

<5% · Rare
Brown Fish-Owl
LC

Brown Fish-Owl

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Ketupa zeylonensis

<5% · Rare
Indian Scops-Owl
LC

Indian Scops-Owl

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Otus bakkamoena

<5% · Rare
Brown Wood Owl
LC

Brown Wood Owl

☀️🌙 Day & Night Bird

Strix leptogrammica

Insufficient data
Oriental Scops Owl
LC

Oriental Scops Owl

☀️🌙 Day & Night Bird

Otus sunia

Insufficient data
Sri Lanka Bay-Owl
LC

Sri Lanka Bay-Owl

Bird

Phodilus assimilis

5–10% · With luck

📅 Monthly Probability

30–40
Jan
30–40
Feb
30–40
Mar
30–40
Apr
20–30
May
10–20
Jun
20–30
Jul
20–30
Aug
20–30
Sep
30–40
Oct
10–20
Nov
20–30
Dec

🌅 When They're Spotted

Most active at dawn and dusk · across all parks (global)

🌅Crepuscular
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Sinharaja Forest Reserve 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
20–30%
2 Horton Plains National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Chestnut-backed Owlet in Sinharaja Forest Reserve?

About 27% of wildlife watchers report a Chestnut-backed Owlet sighting in Sinharaja Forest Reserve, based on 393 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Chestnut-backed Owlet in Sinharaja Forest Reserve?

April has the highest sighting rate for Chestnut-backed Owlet in Sinharaja Forest Reserve in our monthly data.

← Back to Sinharaja Forest Reserve