CreatureData

Chestnut-backed owlet

Glaucidium castanotum (Blyth, 1851)

NTNear Threatenedowls

The chestnut-backed owlet (Glaucidium castanotum) is a species in the family Strigidae, order Strigiformes. Recorded adults weigh 100 g to 209 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Near Threatened.

Chestnut-backed owlet (Glaucidium castanotum)
Photo: Punitha Satharasinnghe · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the chestnut-backed owlet

Weight
100 g – 209 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Invertivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
forestsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
4src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Near Threatened (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the chestnut-backed owlet live?

Not recorded

What is the chestnut-backed owlet?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The chestnut-backed owlet (Glaucidium castanotum) (often misspelled Glaucidium castanonotum), is an owl which is endemic to Sri Lanka. This species is a part of the larger grouping of owls known as typical owls, Strigidae, which contains most of the smaller owl species. This species was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the jungle owlet.

From the Wikipedia article “Chestnut-backed owlet” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chestnut-backed_owlet&oldid=1357902445), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the chestnut-backed owlet endangered?

The chestnut-backed owlet is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List: it is close to qualifying as threatened.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Near Threatened species. What the categories mean.

How is the chestnut-backed owlet classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderStrigiformes
  5. familyStrigidae
  6. genusGlaucidium
  7. SpeciesGlaucidium castanotum (Blyth, 1851)

Synonyms Athene castanonota, Athene castanopterus, Athene castanotus, Glaucidium castanonotum, Glaucidium cuculoides castanonotum, Ieraglaux bubuk, Taenioglaux castanonota

Other names and names in other languages (33)
  • mussolet de Sri LankaCatalan
  • kulíšek srílanskýCzech
  • Sri Lanka-spurveugleDanish
  • KastanienmantelkauzGerman
  • Kastanienmantel-ZwergkauzGerman
  • kaŝtandorsa strigetoEsperanto
  • Mochuelo de CeilánSpanish
  • tseiloni värbkakkEstonian
  • srilankanvarpuspöllöFinnish
  • Chevêchette à dos marronFrench
  • cejlonski ćukCroatian
  • gesztenyebarnahátú törpekuvikHungarian
  • Civetta dorsocastanoItalian
  • Civettina dorsocastanoItalian
  • クリセスズメフクロウJapanese
  • rudnugarė žvirblinė pelėdaLithuanian
  • Ceylonese DwerguilDutch
  • singaleserugleNorwegian
  • sóweczka cejlońskaPolish
  • mochinho-cingalêsPortuguese
  • mocho-pigmeu-do-ceilãoPortuguese
  • Буроспинный сычикRussian
  • Каштановоспинный сычикRussian
  • Буроспинный воробьиный сычRussian
  • මූකලන් බස්සාSinhala
  • පිටතඹල උපබස්සාSinhala
  • kuvičok hnedochrbtýSlovak
  • ceylonsparvugglaSwedish
  • Kestane Sırtlı Serçe BaykuşuTurkish
  • сичик-горобець цейлонськийUkrainian
  • 栗背鵂鶹Chinese
  • 斯里蘭卡栗背鵂鶹Chinese
  • 栗背鸺鹠Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List

Relatives of the chestnut-backed owlet

Other species in the same genus Glaucidium.

CompareChestnut-backed owlet vs Eurasian pygmy owlChestnut-backed owlet vs Asian barred owletChestnut-backed owlet vs Jungle owletChestnut-backed owlet vs African barred owlet

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the chestnut-backed owlet?

An adult chestnut-backed owlet weighs 100 g – 209 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the chestnut-backed owlet endangered?

The chestnut-backed owlet is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is close to qualifying as threatened.

What kind of animal is the chestnut-backed owlet?

The chestnut-backed owlet (Glaucidium castanotum) belongs to the family Strigidae in the order Strigiformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Chestnut-backed owlet (Glaucidium castanotum). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/chestnut-backed-owlet

MLA

“Chestnut-backed owlet (Glaucidium castanotum).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/chestnut-backed-owlet.

BibTeX
@misc{chestnut_backed_owlet_2026,
  title = {Chestnut-backed owlet (Glaucidium castanotum)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/chestnut-backed-owlet},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}