Collared Owlet

The collared owlet (Taenioptynx brodiei), also known as the collared pygmy owl, is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. Its natural habitat is submontane and montane forests with open spaces and is distributed throughout oriental Asia. It is the smallest owl in Asia, at 15 cm (5.9 in) and 60 g (2.1 oz). == Taxonomy == The collared owlet was first described in 1836 as Noctua brodiei by the English zoologist Edward Burton. It was moved to the genus Glaucidium based on a comparison of mitochondrial DNA sequences and proved to be closely related to the jungle owlet (G. radiatum) and the Asian barred owlet (G. cuculoides). Two subspecies are recognised: T. b. brodiei (Burton, 1836) – Himalayas to south China south through Indochina and the Malay Peninsula T. b. pardalotus (Swinhoe, 1863) – Taiwan The Sunda owlet (T. sylvaticum) was formerly treated as a subspecies of the collared owlet. It was promoted to species status based on the results of a vocalisation study published in 2019. == Description == The collared owlet, being Asia's smallest owl species, measures between 15 and 17 cm. Females are generally larger than the males, weighing approximately 63 g, whereas males weigh…