One of Sri Lanka’s two endemic owls, the Chestnut-backed Owlet is unusually active in daylight. Listen for its rapid, purring call along the forest edge, then scan the mid-storey for a small, rufous-backed owl watching from a branch. The pair on this page was photographed at Kudawa.
Species guide
Chestnut-backed Owlet
Glaucidium castanotum
Status
Endemic
Habitat
Forest edge and tall trees
When to look
Year-round · often by day
Field notes
Photography note
Photos on this page are placeholders and will be replaced with the lodge’s own photography. Ask our naturalists about ethical photography of this species.
Keep exploring
More from the species guide
Endemic
Otus thilohoffmanni
Only described to science in 2004, this tiny owl is a prize for any visiting birder.
Dense lowland rainforest understorey
Specialty
Batrachostomus moniliger
Perfectly camouflaged pairs roost by day in the undergrowth; guides know where to look.
Dense, shaded thickets
Resident
Bubo nipalensis
A huge forest owl, linked in Sri Lankan folklore to the eerie call of the “devil bird”.
Mature forest
Endemic
Urocissa ornata
The emblem of Sinharaja: noisy family groups that often travel with mixed flocks.
Rainforest canopy and edges