Northern Pygmy-Owl

Glaucidium gnomaOrder: STRIGIFORMESFamily: True Owls (Strigidae)

General

Northern Pygmy-Owl: Small owl with upperparts and sides that range from plain brown to white-spotted gray-brown or gray. Underparts are white with thick brown stripes. Head is brown or gray with fine white spots; lacks ear tufts. Eyes are yellow with distinct white eyebrows. White-bordered black spots on back of head resemble an extra pair of eyes. Sexes are similar.

Range and Habitat

Northern Pygmy-Owl: Resident on the Pacific coast from southern Alaska to Central America; also found in the Rocky Mountains. Preferred habitats include open coniferous and mixed forests, open fields, wetlands, and logged areas.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"too-too too"

Interesting Facts

The Northern Pygmy-Owl has also been called Pygmy Owl, Rocky Mountain Pygmy Owl, Vancouver Pygmy Owl, California Pygmy Owl, and Dwarf Owl.
They can carry prey weighing more than twice their own weight. They often eat only the brains of birds and the soft abdomen of insects.
Unlike other North American owls, they begin incubation only after their clutch is complete, so the young tend to hatch over a period of 1 to 2 days, rather than one every 1 to 2 days.
A group of owls has many collective nouns, including a "bazaar", "glaring", "parliament", "stooping", and "wisdom" of owls.

Author

Gary Owen Dick

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Northern Pygmy-Owl

Northern Pygmy-Owl: Small owl, upperparts and sides range from brown to white-spotted gray-brown or gray. White underparts have brown stripes. Head is brown or gray with white spots; no ear tufts. Yellow eyes have white eyebrows. White-bordered black spots on back of head resemble a pair of eyes.

● Song: "too-too too"

● Foraging & Feeding: Northern Pygmy-Owl: Prey consists of birds, such as swallows, jays, and chickadees, and mammals, such as shrews, moles, and chipmunks; a predominantly sit-and-wait predator that hunts by day.

● Breeding & nesting: Northern Pygmy-Owl: Two to seven white eggs are laid in a nest built in an old woodpecker hole, usually in a conifer. Eggs are incubated for 29 days by the female; male brings her food while on the nest.

● Similar species: Northern Pygmy-Owl: Ferruginous Owl has a rufous tail with dark bars and brown streaks on underparts. Elf Owl is smaller, has a shorter tail, lacks eyespots on nape, and has faint streaks on underparts.

Flight Pattern

Undulating flight., Bursts of quick wingbeats.

● Range & Habitat: Northern Pygmy-Owl: Resident on the Pacific coast from southern Alaska to Central America; also found in the Rocky Mountains. Preferred habitats include open coniferous and mixed forests, open fields, wetlands, and logged areas.

^BreedingMonogamous

^PopulationFairly common to uncommon

^MigrationNonmigratory

^Weight2.2 Ounces

Field Guide to Birds of North America