Mountain pygmy owl facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mountain pygmy owl |
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Glaucidium
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gnoma
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The mountain pygmy owl (Glaucidium gnoma) is a small type of owl. It is also sometimes called the northern pygmy owl. These tiny owls live in southern Arizona, New Mexico, and Mexico.
Scientists are still discussing if the mountain pygmy owl is its own species or a type of the northern pygmy owl. They look very similar, but their calls sound different. This difference in calls is a big clue for scientists.
Mountain pygmy owls hunt during the day. They look for small animals and insects from high up in pine trees. You can find them in mountains that are 1,500 to 3,500 meters high. Female owls lay their eggs in May or June. The baby owls, called owlets, leave the nest after about 23 to 30 days. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) says these owls are currently "least concern". This means they are not in immediate danger. However, cutting down forests could harm their future populations.
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Owl Families: What's in a Name?
The way scientists group animals is called taxonomy. For pygmy owls, it's a bit tricky! Different groups of scientists have different ideas.
The International Ornithologists' Union thinks the mountain pygmy owl (Glaucidium gnoma) is a separate species. A species is a group of animals that can have babies together.
But the American Ornithological Society groups the mountain pygmy owl with a few others. These include the Guatemalan pygmy owl, Baja pygmy owl, and northern pygmy owl. They call them all Glaucidium gnoma and see them as different subspecies. A subspecies is a group within a species that has small differences.
These owls live from North America to Central America. Even though they look alike, their calls are unique in different areas. This suggests they might be different species after all. More research, like looking at their DNA, is helping scientists figure this out.
What Does a Mountain Pygmy Owl Look Like?
Adult mountain pygmy owls are about 15–17 cm (5.9–6.7 in) long. That's about the length of a small ruler!
Male owls weigh about 48 to 54 grams (1.7–1.9 oz). Female owls are a bit bigger, weighing 60 to 73 grams (2.1–2.6 oz). This is called sexual dimorphism, where males and females look different. Their wings are about 86–98 mm (3.4–3.8 in) long. Their tails can be 61–66 mm (2.1–2.6 in) long.
Their feathers are similar to most pygmy owls. Their chest and throat are white. Their face is a deeper brown with pale brownish-red (rufous) patches. They have thin, white eyebrows. The top of their head, neck, wings, and tail are pale rufous with cream spots. Their tail has 5 to 6 white and rufous bands on the outside. The underside of their tail has 3 to 4 bands. Their chest and belly are white with broken red-brown streaks. Their eyes, feet, and beak are all yellow.
Baby Owls
When baby owls (chicks) hatch, they are covered in soft, whitish down feathers. After a few weeks, a second layer of down feathers appears. Young owls, called fledglings, look a lot like adult owls. However, the top of their head is grey, and they have fewer spots on their forehead. Their white eyebrows are also thicker and stand out more than an adult's.
Spotting the Differences
It can be tricky to tell the different pygmy owls apart. But each type has its own special features:
- The mountain pygmy owl is small with a short tail and slightly pointy wing-tips.
- The northern pygmy owl is larger. It has rounded wing-tips and a longer tail.
- The Guatemalan pygmy owl has bright red-brown feathers. It has white tail bars with dark edges.
- The Baja pygmy owl is small, like the mountain pygmy owl. But it has rounded wing-tips, like the northern pygmy owl. Its throat is white.
Where Do Mountain Pygmy Owls Live?
Mountain pygmy owls live in tropical and subtropical forests. These forests are found in mountains, from 1,500 to 3,500 meters high. They prefer forests with oak, pine, and evergreen trees. They especially like forests with Ponderosa pines. These forests have less brush on the ground, which makes it easier for them to hunt.
You can find these owls from southern Arizona and New Mexico down to Oaxaca in southern Mexico.
Owl Behavior
Pygmy owls are known to be quite bold and prefer to be alone. They are not very social compared to other owls. They usually live by themselves, except when they are pairing up to have babies.
Owl Calls
We don't know much about the specific calls of the mountain pygmy owl. But we can learn from other pygmy owl species. Pygmy owls from British Columbia to California make a slow, single "hoot." Owls in southern British Columbia make a slow, double "hoot." Owls in the central United States to Arizona make a fast, single "hoot." And owls from southern Arizona to southern Mexico make a fast, double "hoot."
Owl calls can be grouped into two types:
- Primary calls: These are used to mark their territory. They sound like an echoing single or double "hooting" or "tooting" sound. You can hear these calls near sunrise and after sunset all year. They are more common in spring and fall. When a male owl brings food to the nest, he will make a soft hoot. The female owl has a similar but broken call. She uses it to talk to the male or when she senses danger. Sometimes, the male will hoot first, and the female will answer in a lower tone. This is like a duet!
- Secondary calls: This is a song that gets higher in pitch. It has about 11 hoots. Both male and female owls make this call all year. It's heard more often in autumn. They use it to protect their territory and encourage their young to leave the nest.
What Do Owls Eat and How Do They Hunt?
Mountain pygmy owls eat many things. Their diet includes insects like crickets and grasshoppers, beetles, small mammals like rodents, and reptiles. They also eat a lot of songbirds, even larger ones like American robins.
Pygmy owls have a unique way of eating. They usually swallow their prey head first. But if it's a snake, they eat it tail first! They have a very fast metabolism, so they need to eat often. Owls can't digest bones very well. So, they form and spit out pellets of undigested parts.
These owls hunt during the day, which is unusual for owls. They also hunt around dawn and dusk. Unlike most owls, their wings make noise when they fly. They usually perch on a high branch to spot prey. Once they see something, they dive to the ground to catch it. If they miss, they quickly move to a new hunting spot. This is because songbirds often "mob" them. This means many songbirds will swarm the owl to force it to leave the area. It's their way of defending themselves!
Owl Movement
Mountain pygmy owls usually stay in the same area. They do not migrate long distances. Some northern pygmy owl species might move down from mountains to lower areas in winter.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
We don't know a lot about how mountain pygmy owls reproduce. But we can learn from the Eurasian pygmy owl, which is similar. Pygmy owls can start having babies when they are about 1 year old. They usually form pairs for one breeding season. Sometimes, a pair might return to the same nest for up to four years.
The male owl tries to attract a female by hooting a lot. He also jumps from branch to branch in his territory. At first, both owls might be a bit shy or even aggressive towards each other. Once the male starts showing interest in a nest, the duet singing stops.
They build nests in hollow tree cavities or old woodpecker holes. When the male finds a good spot, he flies into it. Then he calls to the female so she can come and check it out. The female chooses the best spot and cleans it. They will mate soon after.
Mountain pygmy owls lay eggs between May 19 and June 14. They usually lay 2 to 4 white eggs at the bottom of the nest. The female sits on the eggs for about 28 days until they hatch. All the chicks hatch around the same time. The male owl brings more food to the female after the eggs hatch. About 14 days after hatching, the baby owls are about 60% of their adult weight. Young owls can fly and leave the nest within 23–30 days of hatching. The parent owls stay near the nest for another 20-30 days to protect their young.
Grooming
All owls groom themselves, which means they clean their feathers. They carefully pull feathers through their beak to remove dirt. They also use their beak to spread oil from a special gland near their tail. This oil makes their feathers waterproof. Owls use their claws to clean the feathers on their face. Sometimes, owls in a pair will clean each other's feathers. This is called allopreening.
Protecting Mountain Pygmy Owls
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the mountain pygmy owl as a "least-concern" species. This means they are not currently at high risk of disappearing. However, their numbers are thought to be going down. This is mainly because their homes are being lost. Deforestation, which is cutting down forests, and habitat fragmentation, which means breaking up their living areas, are big problems for them.
