Elf owl
| Little Elf | |
|---|---|
| |
| An Elf Owl in a Palo Verde tree in Albany, New York | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| Order: | |
| Family: | |
| Genus: | Micrathene Coues, 1866
|
| Species: | M. whitneyi
|
| Binomial name | |
| Micrathene whitneyi (Cooper, 1861)
| |
The Elf Owl (Micrathene whitneyi) is a member of the owl family Strigidae that breeds in the southwestern United States and Mexico. It is the world's second smallest owl, the first being a Pygmy owl.[citation needed] They are 5-12 inches tall and have a wingspan of 15-16 inches and short tails. Their primary projection extends nearly past their tail. They have fairly long legs and often appear bow-legged. They are 1-1.4 ounces.They can often be heard just after dusk or at sunset, calling to each other. Their call is a high pitched whinny or chuckle. The male and female dart around the trees and call back and forth.
The elf owl migrates to Arizona and New Mexico in the spring and summer and in the winter it is found in central and southern Mexico. Migrant Elf Owls return north in mid-August or early May.
Diet
Elf Owls feed mainly on insects and therefore occupy habitats with a ready supply of these. Agaves and ocotillos are ideal places for foraging as moths and other insects may sleep in their flowers. Elf owls are known to eat scorpions, somehow managing to cut off the stinger. They are often seen chasing after flying insects, with a flight similar to a tyrant flycatcher's just after dusk.
Subspecies
M. w. idonea, the subspecies in southernmost Texas to central Mexico is resident, as are the isolated M. w. sanfordi of southernmost Baja California and M. w. graysoni of Socorro Island, south-west from the tip of Baja California. That species later apparently became extinct in the 20th century, probably around 1970.
References
- Template:IUCN2006 Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
- "National Geographic" Field Guide to the Birds of North America ISBN 0-7922-6877-6
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Vol 5, Josep del Hoyo editor, ISBN 84-87334-25-3
- "National Audubon Society" The Sibley Guide to Birds, by David Allen Sibley, ISBN 0-679-45122-6
External links
- Elf Owl photo-High Res, & Article fireflyforest.net
- Elf Owl photo gallery VIREO
- Elf Owl Photographs South Dakota Birds and Birding
- IUCN Red List least concern species
- Micrathene
- Birds of Mexico
- Birds of the Madrean sky islands
- Birds of Baja Peninsula Mexico
- Birds of Sierra Madre Occidental
- Birds of Cordillera Neovolcanica Mexico
- Native birds of the Southwestern United States
- Birds of the U.S. Rio Grande Valleys
- Western North American migratory birds