Its feathers are a reddish brown speckled with white. Holt, Denver W. and Julie L. Petersen. Owls(Order: Strigiformes, Family:Strigidae). They also eat insects such as beetles, butterflies, crickets, and dragonflies, as well as reptiles such as lizards and skinks.Back to top. (2014). Early in the breeding cycle males establish and defend a territory. Northern Pygmy Owl on The IUCN Red List site -, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_pygmy_owl, https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/61791401/95181072. 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. Forest management practices that remove dead wood can reduce habitat quality for them. The Northern Pygmy Owl tends to perch in a diagonal position rather than an upright position. The Northern Pygmy Owl is very small in size and has a gray coloring to it. The Northern pygmy owl is small and has a long tail. Owls at this stage are sometimes called "branchers" for their clinging, dangling, and climbing behaviors. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are increasing. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD, USA. Northern pygmy owls are diurnal, and also active at dawn and dusk. They are solitary and secretive birds; males regularly perch at the top of the tallest available conifer trees to issue their territorial call, causing distress and confusion among observers on the ground hoping to get a glimpse. Pygmy-owls rely on other species to excavate holes for them, which makes them indirectly dependent on populations of woodpeckers.Back to top. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York, USA. Northern Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium gnoma), version 2.0. Version 2.07.2017. Males: grayish-brown with fine white spotting. 2017. They never dig their own cavities, but instead rely on cavities carved by rot or woodpeckers. Legs are feathered down to the four well-armed toes on each foot. It looks like Northern pygmy owls sleep with their eyes open, however, in fact, they have a clear-white eyelid (nictitating membrane) that covers their eyes. When alarmed, these owls usually make a high-pitched trill. Longevity records of North American birds. They fly in an undulating pattern of rapid wing beats interrupted by closed-wing glides, similar to woodpeckers. The male hunts from dawn to dusk as the young near fledging, and during the first weeks after they leave the nest. Northern pygmy owls are not threatened or endangered at present; however, they suffer from habitat loss that is caused mainly by logging and burning of forests. Northern Pygmy-Owls are monogamous, at least within one year's breeding season. A plump little owl with short wings and long tail; yellow eyes, yellowish- white beak, dark, white-ringed “false eyes” on back of head. Get Instant ID help for 650+ North American birds. They leave the nest (fledge) by making an initial flight that may be a short hop to a nearby branch, or an explosive burst into an adjacent tree where they land by grasping whatever branch is first contacted, sometimes clinging upside-down. The Northern pygmy owl is a small but ferocious hunter of songbirds that is native to North America. The main call of Northern pygmy owls is a whistled hoot that sounds as "too-too-too-too-too-too-too" and is used to claim the territory. Sibley, D. A. In The Birds of North America (P. G. Rodewald, editor). Like all of the members of its family, it has fake eye spots that are black and outlined in white on the back of its neck. Partners in Flight (2017). Northern pygmy owls are serially monogamous; pairs stay together for one breeding season that occurs between April and June. Avian Conservation Assessment Database. Only the female incubates, while the male hunts and brings food back to the female and the nestlings. They are not known to use human-made nest boxes. Sauer, J. R., D. K. Niven, J. E. Hines, D. J. Ziolkowski Jr., K. L. Pardieck, J. E. Fallon, and W. A. Link (2017). Northern pygmy owls are found in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Unlike screech-owls and Northern Saw-whet Owls, Northern Pygmy-Owls are not known to take up residence in human-made nest boxes. The owlets are born helpless and blind but grow quickly and fledge at about 30 days of age. These owls are found in forests ranging from deciduous woods along streams to high-elevation fir and spruce forests at timberline.