The Spotted Owlet

Look at this cute little fella. I struggle to conjure up and imagine in my mind a cuter bird than a small owl like this Spotted Owlet. But it is far more than just an adorable bundle of feathers. These birds play an integral role in the ecosystem and thusly also an integral role in the health of your own family.

No one likes rodents crawling around their kitchen. Why is that? Well we think they're “gross” but there's actually a biological reason for that hatred. They spread diseases. We've evolved with the understanding that certain things like bodily fluids can spread illnesses, spices are tasty because they hamper bacterial growth, and rodents shouldn't be in the house because their fleas and fecal matter can cause any number of unwanted issues for us. This could have been one of the biggest drawing factors for why we domesticated cats, to keep rodents and thus, illness out of the home. Well these owls actually do a better job at hunting rodents than your pet cat ever could. Since birds have exceptionally high metabolisms they require multiple successful hunts a night or they will starve. Sounds like a pretty good deal then to have an owl in your neighborhood and several less mice around every day, doesn't it? 

The Spotted Owlet is the most common owl I've encountered in Bangladesh, though not the only by any means. Bangladesh is located very uniquely in the world, where the species assemblages from India meet the species from Southeast Asia. We are blessed in this way to have an incredible array of different species that we as a country should be truly proud of. Next time you are taking a walk in a park, look up and you may see one of these looking back at you from their daytime roost. Or go out at night with a flashlight and scan the trees for their eye shine sparkling back at you amongst the leaves and branches.

Text: Creative Conservation Alliance

Photo: Scott Trageser Photographer/Nature Stills