Albertine Owlet

About the Albertine Owlet

The Albertine owlet (Glaucidium albertinum) or Prigogine's owlet, is a small species of small owl in the family Strigidae, native to the Albertine Rift montane forests. Some authorities include the Albertine owlet as a subspecies of the African barred owlet, but others, including Birdlife, treat it as a separate species.

The Albertine owlet is very similar to the African barred owlet (Glaucidium capense) and is a small, large-headed owl with no "ear-tufts". The head is heavily spotted with whitish flecks, the upper parts are maroon-brown and the mantle and back are not barred. The chin, throat and upper breasts are maroon with broad creamy bars, and the rest of the underparts are off-white with dark chestnut spots, mainly on the flanks. The tail is brown with large white spots. The eyes are pale yellow. The body length is 20 cm (7.9 in).

The Albertine owlet is known from just a few specimens, two were collected in the Itombwe Mountains (two specimens) and two more in forest west of Lake Edward at 1,100 m (3,600 ft) in altitude in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as one in Nyungwe Forest in western Rwanda. There... Wikipedia →