Xenoglaux loweryi
The Long-whiskered Owlet, *Xenoglaux loweryi*, is a diminutive and highly elusive owl, making it one of the smallest and least-known raptors in the world. Measuring a mere 13-14 cm (5.1-5.5 inches) in length and weighing approximately 45-50 grams (1.6-1.8 ounces), it is easily recognized by its dark brown upperparts, rufous-tinged head, and whitish underparts streaked with rufous-brown. Its most striking field mark, lending it its common name, are the prominent, stiff, dark rictal bristles, o...
This owlet primarily inhabits dense, humid montane cloud forests, favoring areas with a tangled understory, bamboo thickets, and abundant epiphytes. It is found at elevations typically ranging from 1,800 to 2,400 meters (5,900-7,900 feet).
Its diet consists primarily of large nocturnal insects, such as moths, beetles, and katydids, which it captures by hawking or gleaning. Occasionally, small vertebrates might be taken.
The Long-whiskered Owlet is strictly nocturnal, becoming active shortly after dusk and calling sporadically throughout the night. It typically roosts during the day in dense foliage, often close to tree trunks or within bamboo clumps, relying on its cryptic plumage for camouflage. Foraging consis...
The Long-whiskered Owlet is endemic to a highly restricted and fragmented range within the northern Peruvian Andes. Its distribution is primarily confined to the departments of Amazonas and San Martín, specifically along the eastern slopes of the Cordillera de Colán and the Cordillera Central. Ke...
Vulnerable
- This owlet was only discovered in 1976 in a remote cloud forest of northern Peru, making it one of the most recent owl species to be described by science. - Its scientific name, *Xenoglaux loweryi*, translates roughly to 'strange owl' (Xenoglaux) and honors George H. Lowery Jr., an American orn...