Glaucidium tephronotum
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The red-chested owlet (Glaucidium tephronotum) is a species of owl in the family Strigidae, native to the African tropical rainforest. Its habits and behaviour are poorly known. The red-chested owlet is a very small owl, which has a light grey facial disc with whitish markings and short white eyebrows. The head and neck are dark grey and the back and wings are sooty brown. The long tail has three faint bars, the upper breast and flanks have a reddish-brown wash, while the remainder of the underparts are whitish with rufous streaks on the side of the belly. The iris and bill are yellow. Length is about 14 cm (5.5 in) and wingspan is about 35 cm (14 in).
The call of the red-chested owlet is a series of up to 20 high-pitched whistling notes. There are currently three recognised subspecies of red-chested owlet: G. t. tephronotum: Liberia, Ivory Coast and Ghana G. t. medje: Congo, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, southwestern Uganda and western Kenya
The red-chested owlet inhabits primary rain forest and a mosaic of forest and scrub, as well as clearings... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Semuliki National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 2 | Bwindi Impenetrable National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 3 | Kibale National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 4 | Nyungwe National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Red-chested Owlet sighting in Kibale National Park on a given day, based on 34 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 239th most-seen of the 366 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Red-chested Owlet in Kibale National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to August, the lowest months. That is one of Kibale National Park's wettest months, with about 130 mm of rain against 20 mm in February.
Between midnight and 3 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red-chested Owlet sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Among the best
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Red-chested Owlet sightings, Kibale National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Semuliki National Park (Uganda, under 5%) and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (Uganda, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Red-chested Owlet is recorded against all the birds logged in Kibale National Park (34 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
