NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Pearl-spotted Owlet
Glaucidium perlatum (Vieillot, 1817)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
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.
Wikipedia contributors, Pearl-spotted owlet; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:38:22.492707+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Glaucidium perlatum (Vieillot, 1817)
- Name authority
- (Vieillot, 1817)
- Common name
- Pearl-spotted Owlet
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Strigiformes
- Family
- Strigidae
- Genus
- Glaucidium
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderStrigiformes
- familyStrigidae
- subfamilySurniinae
- genusGlaucidium F. Boie, 1826
- speciesGlaucidium perlatum (Vieillot, 1817)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Glaucidium. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Yungas Pygmy OwlGlaucidium bolivianum C. König, 1991 | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Ferruginous Pygmy OwlGlaucidium brasilianum (J. F. Gmelin, 1788) | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Northern Pygmy OwlGlaucidium californicum P. L. Sclater, 1857 | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| African Barred OwletGlaucidium capense (A. Smith, 1834) | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Guatemalan Pygmy OwlGlaucidium cobanense Sharpe, 1875 | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Central American Pygmy OwlGlaucidium griseiceps Sharpe, 1875 | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Amazonian Pygmy OwlGlaucidium hardyi Vielliard, 1989 | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Andean Pygmy OwlGlaucidium jardinii (Bonaparte, 1855) | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| East Brazilian Pygmy OwlGlaucidium minutissimum (Wied-Neuwied, 1830) | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Pernambuco Pygmy OwlGlaucidium mooreorum Cardoso da Silva, Coelho & Gonzaga, 2003 | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Austral Pygmy OwlGlaucidium nana (P. P. King, 1827) | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Subtropical Pygmy OwlGlaucidium parkeri Robbins & S. N. G. Howell, 1995 | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Strix perlata Vieillot, 1817 Vieillot, 1817 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=555447 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3G64D. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.