Northern Pygmy Owl

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Northern Pygmy Owl

	Scientific name: Glaucidium gnoma
	Family name: Strigidae
	Are they endangered? They are not endangered worldwide. [IUCN Red List least concern]
	What are their past/present problems? Their enemies are woodpeckers, Barred Owls, and vehicles when they fly into their windshields.
	What do they look like? They are small birds with yellow eyes and beak. They are mostly grayish brown but have lots of white spots on their backs and wings. They have bellies that look like white and brown stripes.

How big are they? These birds are about 6 inches long. If their wings were stretched out, they would be about 15 inches wide.

How many eggs do they lay? The female lays between 2 and 7 white eggs once a year that hatch in about a month.

How long do the fledglings stay in the nest? Pygmy Owl nests are in tree holes. They sometimes use holes that other birds used to use. The Pygmy Owl babies [owlets] stay in the nest for about a month.

When do they hunt? They hunt mostly at night but sometimes at dawn or dusk.

What do they eat? They like to eat small birds, rodents [MICE], and large insects

Where do they live? They live in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize.

What kind of place do they like to live in? They like to live along forest edges close to meadows, lakes, coastlines, and forest clearings. They like any kind of forest—pine or leaf tree ones.

Interesting facts:

	Even though they are little birds, they are fierce. They attack birds that are larger than they are.
	They do not migrate.
	These birds will swoop down on prey in the air, on the ground, or in between. They are usually close to their prey when they do this.
	Just like hamsters, these owls save food for later.
	These birds are very small and very active so they eat often.