The Asian barred owlet

An Asian barred owlet is seen between tree branches in Xiangmi Park in Futian District in this May 28, 2022 photo.

For the past couple of weeks, an unexpected visitor decided to raise its offspring in a community park in downtown Shenzhen. Known as Xiangmi Park, this place is a favorite for newlyweds to have their photo-shoots due to the beauty of its landscape. An uncountable amount of tree species there serve as the home for a dozen local birds. Recently, the large trees served as home for a mother Asian barred owlet (Glaucidium cuculoides) and her two youngsters.

位于深圳市中心的香蜜公园风景如画，既是拍摄婚纱照的热门取景地，也因树种丰富而成为许多鸟类的家园。最近，一家稀客来到公园，在一棵大树上安家落户，它们就是斑头鸺鹠妈妈和它的两个孩子。

This fabulous species of owl is decorated all over its body with a beautiful light brown barred pattern. Around its amazing big yellow eyes are astonishing white eyebrows. It has a yellow beak, yellow legs with very sharp claws and a short tail; its throat and breast have white patches.

这种猫头鹰体羽浅褐，全身遍布白色横纹，硕大的黄色眼睛上缀着美丽的白色眉纹；嘴和脚皆为黄色，有着一对锋利的爪子和短小的尾巴；喉部与腹部还具显眼的白斑。

The Asian barred owlet can grow up to only 25cm in length, but is still considered to be a fairly large owlet, giving us an idea of how small owlets usually are. They are distributed all over China and most Southeast Asian countries including Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. It is considered a resident species, meaning it does not have a migratory pattern.

斑头鸺鹠最大的个体身长仅25厘米，但在普遍身材娇小的鸺鹠家族中，它们个头算很大了。本物种为留鸟，不事迁徙，广泛分布于中国及越南、老挝、柬埔寨等东南亚国家。

Two Asian barred owlets are seen between tree branches in Xiangmi Park in Futian District in this May 28, 2022 photo.

This beautiful bird is mostly active during the day. It can feed on almost any species of animal that is available to hunt, preferably large insects like cicadas or grasshoppers, but also lizards, mice, frogs, or even small birds it catches while in flight.

斑头鸺鹠普遍在日间活动，取食大量动物性食物，尤喜蝉、蚂蚱等大型昆虫，有时也吃蜥蜴、老鼠、青蛙、甚至小鸟。能够在飞行中直接向猎物发动攻击。

The breeding season of the Asian barred owlet starts around April and May, when couples will look for a small cavity in a tree, sometimes even taking the homes of some other bird species like woodpeckers or barbets. They will lay up to four eggs per clutch; females will be in charge of incubating and feeding the newborns.

斑头鸺鹠每年4、5月繁殖，常在树洞中筑巢，或使用啄木鸟或巨嘴鸟的弃巢。每窝最多产4只卵，由雌鸟独自孵化、喂养雏鸟。

An Asian barred owlet is seen between tree branches in Xiangmi Park in Futian District in this May 28, 2022 photo.

Although this fantastic bird species is not threatened, it is important to protect them as part of our beautiful ecosystem. This is a species that belongs to this part of the world and nowhere else, so we are lucky to be able to enjoy their beauty in our diverse city of Shenzhen.

斑头鸺鹠属无危物种，是生态系统中重要的一员，所以我们也应当保护它们。此外，这种猫头鹰还是亚洲特有种，因此能够在深圳这座美丽的城市邂逅它们，是我们莫大的荣幸。