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Northern Pygmy-Owl Glaucidium gnoma
At a Glance
In western forests, this little owl is often active by day. It may fly fast and low from one tree to the next and then swoop up to take a high perch, rather like a shrike. An aggressive hunter despite its small size, it catches more birds than most small owls. Little gangs of chickadees and other songbirds often gather to 'mob' a pygmy-owl discovered in daylight, and they will react the same way to a birder who imitates the owl's whistled call. All bird guide text and rangemaps adapted from Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman© 1996, used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Category Owls
IUCN Status Least Concern
Habitat Arroyos and Canyons, Forests and Woodlands, High Mountains
Region Alaska and The North, California, Northwest, Rocky Mountains, Southwest, Western Canada
Behavior Flap/Glide, Rapid Wingbeats, Undulating
Population 180.000 Range & Identification
Migration & Range Maps No regular migration, but may wander away from breeding areas in fall and winter, including some downslope movement by mountain birds.
Description 7-7 1/2" (18-19 cm). Small, with pale bars on long tail. Sharp streaks on white belly. Two bold spots (like false eyes) on back of head. Overall color varies from grayish to warm brown.
Size About the size of a Robin, About the size of a Sparrow
Color Black, Brown, Gray, Red, White, Yellow
Wing Shape Rounded, Short
Tail Shape Long, Notched, Rounded, Square-tipped
Songs and Calls A series of mellow whistles on 1 pitch. Also a thin rattle around the nest.
Call Pattern Falling, Flat
Call Type Chirp/Chip, Hoot, Whistle Habitat Open coniferous or mixed woods, wooded canyons. Found in a wide variety of forest types, including open oak groves, sycamores in canyons, pine-oak woodland, coniferous forest of far north and high mountains. Generally in partly open habitats rather than solid unbroken forest.
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Behavior
Eggs 3-4, sometimes 2-7. White. Incubation apparently is by female only, about 28 days.
Young Both parents take part in providing food for young, with male bringing much of prey, female feeding it to young. Female may roost in nest hole with young at first. Age of young at first flight about 27-28 days. Feeding Behavior Hunts most actively near dawn and dusk, but also at other times. Watches for prey from a perch, then makes very rapid pursuit flight. Diet Includes rodents, birds, insects, lizards. Diet varies with location and season. Rodents such as voles and mice are often major prey, also catches mammals as large as gophers and squirrels. During warm weather, eats many large insects such as grasshoppers, crickets, cicadas, beetles. Small songbirds are sometimes up to one-third of diet. In southern parts of range, may catch many lizards.
Nesting Some birds defend territories all year; in breeding season, pairs defend very large nesting territories. Courtship displays at dusk may involve rapid aerial chases through the trees near potential nest sites. In courtship on perch, male feeds female. Nest site is in cavity in tree, either in natural hollow or (perhaps more often) in abandoned woodpecker hole, and usually 8-25' above ground.
Conservation
Conservation Status Generally uncommon, but widespread; no evidence of general declines.
Change in Abundance Over Time Drawing on more than a century of community science from the Christmas Bird Count (CBC), this chart shows how this species’ relative abundance has shifted in recent decades. Explore more and get involved in the CBC.
Climate Map Audubon’s scientists have used 140 million bird observations and sophisticated climate models to project how climate change will affect the range of the Northern Pygmy-Owl. Learn even more in Audubon’s Survival By Degrees project.
Climate Threats Facing the Northern Pygmy-Owl Choose a temperature scenario below to see which threats will affect this species as warming increases. The same climate change-driven threats that put birds at risk will affect other wildlife and people, too.
Explore More Murals, Art, and Culture Artists throughout history and across the U.S. have captured this bird in murals, books, and museum hangings. See what they’ve done: (责任编辑：) |
