Quantcast

Elf Owl

Micrathene whitneyiOrder: STRIGIFORMESFamily: True Owls (Strigidae)

Elf Owl Portrait
  Copyright 2002-2007 Whatbird.com
Click here for licensing information Splitbar

General

Elf Owl: Small owl with gray-brown body heavily mottled with white and cinnamon-brown. Head is round and lacks ear tufts; facial disk is bordered by a thin, black line. Eyes are pale yellow highlighted by thin white eyebrows. Wings are relatively long. Bristly feathers sparsely cover feet and legs. Tail is short with 3 to 5 pale bars. Sexes are similar.

Range and Habitat

Elf Owl: Resident in southwest U.S. and Mexico. Preferred habitats include deserts, thorn scrub, and mesquite or deciduous riparian woodlands; most abundant in deserts dominated by giant saguaro.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"CHU-ur-ur-ur", "cheeur"

Interesting Facts

 The first published report of the Elf Owl was by James Graham Cooper in 1861. They have also been called Texas Elf Owl, Whitney's Elf Owl, and Dwarf Owl.

 They are the smallest owls in the world, and when captured, they will play opossum until sure that all danger has passed.

 Their breeding success is the highest of any reported for North American Owls, with 70% of all eggs fledging. This high rate of success may be due to the difficulty that predators have in reaching nests, which are often in cacti.

 A group of owls has many collective nouns, including a "bazaar", "glaring", "parliament", "stooping", and "wisdom" of owls.



Author

Gary Owen Dick

Splitbar
Range Map for Elf Owl
.
Bird database and its related content, illustrations and media is Copyright © 2002 - 2007  Whatbird.com
All rights reserved. No part of this web site may be reproduced without written permission from Mitch Waite Group.
 Privacy Policy.
Percevia® Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
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.
Family True Owl (Strigidae)_blue
Species Micrathene whitneyi
Length5 - 6 Inches
Wingspan15 Inches

Elf Owl

Elf Owl: Small owl, gray-brown body heavily mottled white and cinnamon-brown. Round head lacks ear tufts; facial disk bordered by thin, black line. Eyes are pale yellow highlighted by white eyebrows. Wings are long. Bristly feathers sparsely cover feet and legs. Tail is short with 3 to 5 pale bars.

● Song: "CHU-ur-ur-ur", "cheeur"

● Foraging & Feeding: Elf Owl: Eats insects, other arthropods, small mammals, and small birds. Often hovers to spook insect prey into flight, and then captures it in mid-air.

● Breeding & nesting: Elf Owl: One to five white eggs are laid in an abandoned woodpecker hole in a tree or large cactus. Incubation ranges from 14 to 24 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Elf Owl: Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl and Northern Pygmy owls have longer tails, black eyespots on napes, and heavily streaked underparts.

Flight Pattern

Silent wing beats., Mothlike flight.
Elf Owl Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Elf Owl: Resident in southwest U.S. and Mexico. Preferred habitats include deserts, thorn scrub, and mesquite or deciduous riparian woodlands; most abundant in deserts dominated by giant saguaro.
BreedingMonogamous
PopulationFairly common to common, Widespread
MigrationMigratory
Weight1.4 Ounces