Glaucidium perlatum
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
The pearl-spotted owlet (Glaucidium perlatum) is a small bird of prey found in sub-Saharan Africa. They belong to the Strigidae family, otherwise known as the typical owls or the true owls, which contains most species of owl. As part of the genus Glaucidium, or pygmy owls, they are commonly referred to as 'owlets' due to their diminutive size. Pearl-spotted owlets are brownish and heavily spotted white, with two distinct black false 'eyes' at the back of their head. They are often confused with an African barred owlet.
The pearl-spotted owlet is one of the smallest owls in Africa with a length of 17 to 21 cm. The females are slightly larger and heavier (100g) than the males (65g). Both males and females have similar plumage colouration. The facial disc is off-white and the eyes are yellow. At the back of the head there are two striking false black 'eyes' with a white outline. The upper parts are cinnamon-brown with white spots. The tail and flight feathers are brown, with large white spots forming bars in flight. The bill and cere are pale greenish yellow, the legs are feathered white and feet are yellow. Juveniles are similar to adults but the head and back spots... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maiduguri | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | |
| 2 | Serrekunda | 🇬🇲 Gambia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dullstroom Bird Of Prey & Rehabilitation Centre | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Montecasino Bird Gardens | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Pearl-spotted Owlet sighting in Meru National Park on a given day, based on 44 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 48th most-seen of the 243 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Pearl-spotted Owlet in Meru National Park on a given day, against about 10% in January, the lowest month. That is one of Meru National Park's wettest months, with about 190 mm of rain against almost none in July. May and July–August have too few records to rate.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pearl-spotted Owlet sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 33
Of the 33 parks where we can rate Pearl-spotted Owlet sightings, Meru National Park ranks 4th at about 30%. The best odds are in Waterberg Plateau Park (Namibia, about 50%), Niokolo-Koba National Park (Senegal, about 40%) and Gonarezhou National Park (Zimbabwe, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Strigidae
The closest relatives of the Pearl-spotted Owlet that you can see in Meru National Park (family Strigidae, Typical Owls) are African Scops-Owl (about 20%), Verreaux's Eagle-Owl (about 20%) and Pel's Fishing-Owl (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pearl-spotted Owlet is recorded against all the birds logged in Meru National Park (44 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.
