From South African Wildlife Rehab Center

The little Dinokeng souvenir nobody ordered!

Some people come home from a weekend away with photographs, a cooler box full of questionable leftovers and a slightly sunburnt nose.

Shaun and Magda from Brakpan came home with an owlet!

While packing up to leave Dinokeng this past weekend, the pair (thankfully) noticed a tiny Pearl-spotted Owlet beneath their vehicle.

Yes, UNDER the vehicle.

After numerous phone calls and a frustrating search for assistance in the immediate area, Shaun and Magda refused to leave the little stranger to fend for herself, not knowing where she had come from. So, they brought her back with them and promptly arranged for our first aid volunteer Lauren Macleod to take her in.

And so began the next chapter of this tiny tot’s rather unexpected adventure.

Once settled, Lauren administered some much needed fluids before offering her a wholesome meal.

Her response?!

LET. ME. EAT!!!

This little feathered vacuum cleaner appeared determined to consume approximately her own body weight in food!!

Appetite… Absolutely present and accounted for!!

Talking about tiny packages with disproportionately large personalities, allow us to introduce this specie: Pearl-spotted Owlet (Glaucidium perlatum).

At a mere 17 to 21 cm in length and weighing around 75 grams, she is roughly the size of a small apple just with far more will to kill us and considerably more attitude.

Don’t be fooled by the baby face, though… This is a miniature predator, not a gentle anything!

Her menu includes grasshoppers, crickets and solifuges, but she will also happily hunt lizards, snakes, rodents, bats and small birds.

(In other words, if it is small enough to be on the menu, this little lady may well be interested).

Pearlies also don’t wait until bedtime to get to work. Unlike many owls, Pearl-spotted Owlets are frequently active during daylight as well as at night.

Now, about that name…!

The scientific Latin “perlatum” is associated with pearls, referring to the beautiful little white spots scattered across the brown plumage of a mature bird. (It’s rather like someone has been decorating her feathers with tiny pearls.)

But her most intriguing feature might be the pair of dark spots ringed with white on the back of her head. They look remarkably like a second set of eyes.

As adults, these false eyes are thought to help confuse potential threats about which direction the owl is facing. (Imagine trying to sneak up on someone who appears to be watching you while looking in the opposite direction).

Paranoia 101 … courtesy of Mother Nature!

A huge thank you to Shaun and Magda for stopping, making those calls and refusing to leave her behind, and to Lauren for stepping in to help.

She may be small, but she has absolutely no intention of being overlooked.