NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Spotted Owlet
Athene brama (Temminck, 1821)
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 spotted owlet (Athene brama) is a small owl which breeds in tropical Asia from North Pakistan to Southeast Asia. A common resident of open habitats including farmland and human habitation, it has adapted to living in cities. They roost in small groups in the hollows of trees or in cavities in rocks and buildings. It nests in a hole in a tree or building, laying 3–5 eggs. The species shows great variation including clinal variation in size and forms a superspecies with the very similar little owl.
Wikipedia contributors, Spotted owlet; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T03:30:55.558371+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Athene brama (Temminck, 1821)
- Name authority
- (Temminck, 1821)
- Common name
- Spotted Owlet
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Strigiformes
- Family
- Strigidae
- Genus
- Athene
- 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
- genusAthene F. Boie, 1822
- speciesAthene brama (Temminck, 1821)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Athene. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| West Solomons OwlAthene jacquinoti Bonaparte, 1850 | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Burrowing OwlAthene cunicularia (Molina, 1782) | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Guadalcanal OwlAthene granti (Sharpe, 1888) | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Malaita OwlAthene malaitae (Mayr, 1931) | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-browed OwlAthene superciliaris (Vieillot, 1817) | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Forest OwletAthene blewitti (Hume, 1873) | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Little OwlAthene noctua (Scopoli, 1769) | 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 brama Temminck, 1821 Temminck, 1821 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Southern Asia
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=555472 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:5VVC4. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.