Pygmy Owl

The owl preys on birds – some nearly as large as itself – and small mammals, such as voles.

The Pygmy Owl is classified as Least Concern. Does not qualify for a more at risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.

Pygmy Owl Declining in Mexico = Arthur Rotstein, Associated Press small textlarge text Submit to: Feb. 28, 2007 — A university study shows the population of a tiny endangered owl in northern Mexico has declined by an estimated 26 percent over the last seven years, a finding that environmentalists said bolsters their arguments for greater protection for the bird in Arizona. More

A Pygmy Owl is a member of genus Glaucidium of family Strigidae (the owls) of order Strigiformes. Some of the species are called "owlets". The exact number of species is somewhat disputed. More

Ferruginous Pygmy Owl: Small owl, plain brown upperparts, white underparts with thick, brown streaks. Round head has stripes and no ear tufts. Nape has two conspicuous black patches outlined in white. Tail is long and rufous with dark brown bars. Flight is rapid and direct with unmuffled wing beats. Range and Habitat Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl: Occurs in southern Arizona and extreme southern Texas. Found in riparian areas within deserts. The U.S. More

grinnelli) of Pygmy Owl occur solely within British Columbia, and the third race (Glaucidium gnoma californicum) occurs in the mountainous interior of British Columbia and southwestern Alberta. Because of the secretive and crepuscular (most active at dawn and dusk) nature of this species, the natural history and distribution of the Northern Pygmy Owl is poorly known. In Canada, the Northern Pygmy Owl has not been designated by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). More

Pygmy Owls are one of the few species that don't start incubation until the last egg is laid. The female alone incubates the eggs for 28-29 days, only leaving briefly in the evening or morning to be fed by the male. She will often enlarge the nest cavity using her bill to tear small chips from the inner wall. Young hatch almost all at the same time, and are brooded by the female for 9-10 days. By this stage, their eyes will be open. More

The tiny, fierce pygmy owl has become synonymous with wild Sonoran Desert: Endangered Species Act protections for the owl initiated a new era of urban planning in southern Arizona. Within the bird’s critical habitat areas, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service limited development to just 20 percent of most properties, driving the large-scale Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan that became a model for endangered species urban planning nationwide. More

A federal judge removed the pygmy owl's critical habitat status in September 2001. She stated that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife consider the economic impact when it designated 731,000 acres critical habitat for the cactus ferruginous pygmy-owl in 1999. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is expected to redesignate their critical habitat by April 2003, and it is hoped their habitat will double as a result. It is presently on the U.S. Endangered Species List. More

adult pygmy owls a year, and in 2006, surveyors spotted only 28 owls. The population in northern Mexico is also imperiled, with a documented 4.4% decline per year for the past 7 years, or a 26% decline overall since 2000. Range - The range of the western subspecies stretches from central and southern Arizona south through Sonora and Sinaloa, Mexico. The eastern subspecies ranges from southern Texas and Tamaulipas to the remainder of states in Mexico. More

Nesting - Northern Pygmy Owls rely on woodpeckers to create cavities suitable for nest building, although natural cavities will also be used if available. These owls use bark strips, feathers, mosses and lichen to line their nests. The few nests found have been surprisingly deep - as much as 36". Most Common Problems - Sometimes collide with vehicles, or fly into windows. Forest habitat for this species is lost through removal of nesting snags with woodpecker holes. More

pygmy owl picture to our website, refer to our homepage for information on doing that. Here is some general information on the ferruginous pygmy owl. The Ferruginous Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium brasilianum) is a small owl that breeds in south-central Arizona in the USA, south through to Mexico, Central America and South America to Bolivia and Argentina. Trinidad, as well as other localities, have endemic subspecies of the owl. The Trinidad version is more rufous above than the continental forms. More

Northern Pygmy Owl Pictures, great pictures of northern pygmy owls in nature = Here is our collection of northern pygmy-owl pictures. This collection is going to get larger as the weeks go by. We love northern pygmy-owl photos and we are going to increase the number of northern pygmy-owl pictures in this section very soon. More

to the distinction between the two North American Pygmy Owls is habitat, color, call, white markings and tail barring. The Ferruginous Pygmy has a much lower elevation habitat, living in the saguaro (cactus) and riparian desert habitats of southern Arizona and mesquite (dry) habitats in the Rio Grand areas of southern Texas (the Northern-Pygmy is generally associated with montane forest habitats) . More

Northern Pygmy Owls have also been called Pygmy Owl, Rocky Mountain Pygmy Owl, Vancouver Pygmy Owl, California Pygmy Owl, and Dwarf Owl. Description: The Northern Pygmy Owl is a tiny, woodland, diurnal Owl that is most active between dawn and dusk. They have greyish or brownish or reddish (3 morphs) upperparts and light belly that is boldly streaked with brown. The head and nape are liberally sprinkled with whitish dots (more cinnamon or buff on red morph). More

The Eurasian Pygmy Owl was classified in 1758 by Carolus Linnaeus (1707-1778), the Swedish naturalist who developed binomial nomenclature to classify and organise plants and animals. They are the smallest of European Owls. Description: Generally dark rufescent to greyish-brown, above spotted whitish, below streaked brown and off-white. The sides of the breast are mottled brown. There is a prominent, white half-collar around the back of the neck. The tail is brown to grey-brown with 5 narrow, whitish bars. More

The cactus ferruginous pygmy owl nests in cavities in trees or cacti such as the organ pipe or saguaro. The pygmy owl begins nesting activity late winter to early spring.3 Three to five eggs are laid in late AprilMay.2 The eggs are incubated for about twenty-eight days. The young are fed by both parents. The young fledge twenty-seven to thirty days after hatching. More

Pygmy Owl Information Home News Content Authors FAQ Our Promise About Us Contact Us Share What You Know, Earn Money - If you’re knowledgeable, are able to express that knowledge in writing, and are honest we want you. We specialize in web site design and hosting of informational web sites for people like you. More

Pygmy Owl May Warrant Protection April 16, 2007 Legal Update Mar 16, 2007 Binational pygmy owl protection is sought Mar 14, 2007 Appeals Court Up holds De-listing of Pygmy Owl Dec 17, 2006 Pygmy owl land up to $100K acre May 16, 2006 Endangered Habitat - Removing pygmy owls from the Endangered Species List may help recover human habitat More

The Northern Pygmy Owl is Canada's smallest owl species and North America's second smallest (only the Elf Owl is smaller). Pygmy Owls are diurnal hunters that feed predominently on small birds such as sparrows. Their body shape and frame is similar to that of the Northern Hawk Owl, a fairly closely related species. Pygmies are masters of aerial maneuvering. Pygmy Owls have a false set of eyes on the back of their heads made up of a combination of black and white feathers. More

"The pygmy owl should never have been removed from the endangered species list," said Noah Greenwald, conservation biologist with the Center for Biological Diversity and primary author of the petition. "The pygmy owl is near extinction in Arizona and sharply declining in northern Sonora. It desperately needs the protection of the Endangered Species Act to survive." The cactus ferruginous pygmy owl was listed as an endangered species in Arizona in 1997. More