8
Description: Brown Morph: <strong>The</strong> facial disc is pale greyish-brown with some darker concentric rings and an indistinct rim. <strong>The</strong> eyebrows are whitish and the eyes bright yellow. <strong>The</strong> cere is greenish-yellow, and looks distinctly swollen around the nostrils. <strong>The</strong> bill is yellowish-horn. Upperparts are brown, the crown having dense, small whitish spots. <strong>The</strong> nape has a distinct occipital face (fake eyes) consisting of two large blackish dots surrounded by a diffuse whitish zone. <strong>The</strong> rest of the upperparts have some whitish or pale buffish spots, the scapulars having partly whitish outer webs. <strong>The</strong> flight feathers are barred light and dark, and the tail feathers are brown with about 6 incomplete whitish bars on both webs. <strong>The</strong> throat and foreneck are whitish. <strong>The</strong> sides of the chest and upper flanks are brown, with several small white spots. <strong>The</strong> rest of the underparts are whitish with prominent dark brown streaks. Tarsi are feathered off-white, and the sparsely bristled toes are greyish-yellow. Claws are greyish-horn with darker tips. Other morphs: Markings same as the brown morph, but coloured rusty-brown to grey. Size: Length 17-19cm. Wing length 86-105mm. Tail length 60-79mm. Weight 62-73g. Females are generally larger and heavier than males. Habits: Northern Pygmy <strong>Owl</strong>s are most active between dawn and dusk. <strong>The</strong>y are very secretive and tend to perch and roost in thickets where it is safe from predators. At times, one will sit atop the highest spire of a tree. At rest, a Northern Pygmy <strong>Owl</strong> sits with its tail cocked away from vertical, and often twitches its tail when excited. Flight between perches is short and rapid - plummeting downwards as it leaves a perch before leveling off, and swooping up to the next. If the next perch is a tree, it will tend to land low, then moves up through the tree to a higher perch. Flight is relatively noisy for an owl, and resembles a shrike, with rapid wing beats and rounded wing tips. Despite their small size, Northern Pygmy <strong>Owl</strong>s are quite fierce, and will attack prey or drive off intruders several times their own size. Voice: <strong>The</strong> primary call of the male is a series of repetitive, whistled hoots "too-too-too-too-too-too-too" at intervals of 1 to 2 seconds, although it is reported that this can vary from 0.5 seconds, all the way up to 4 seconds. This call is territorial in nature and is usually given in the early evening and before dawn, and may be heard year-round. <strong>The</strong> male gives a high whinnying sound when bringing food to his mate. <strong>The</strong> female calls much less often and it has a cackling quality. Other calls include an ascending staccato series of whistles. When excited, they may emit a high-pitched trill (8 notes/second). Hunting & Food: Northern Pygmy <strong>Owl</strong>s are "sit and wait" predators, that hunt mainly by vision, diving down onto prey on the ground and driving the talons into the prey's throat. they will also attack birds in shrubs, crashing into the hapless victims. Most prey is carried off in the feet to feeding sites. Birds are usually plucked before being consumed. <strong>The</strong>y often eat only the brains of birds and the soft abdomen of insects. One of these little owls can carry prey weighing up to 3 times its own weight. <strong>The</strong> Northern Pygmy <strong>Owl</strong> feeds on a wide range of small prey including small mammals, birds, and reptiles and amphibians. Voles make up the bulk of their diet, with birds comprising most of the rest (mainly songbirds, but as large as a California Quail). Other small mammals include shrews, mice, chipmunks, bats, moles, young rabbits, and weasels. Insects may be very important when they are most abundant. Other prey taken are toads, frogs and small lizards and snakes. During winter, surplus prey is cached in a cavity, often in large quantities. Summer caches are usually much smaller. Pellets are very small, averaging about 3cm long. <strong>The</strong>y are formed only occasionally as these owls don't consume large amounts of fur, feathers, or bone. <strong>The</strong> pellets tend to fall apart shortly after ejection. Breeding: Northern Pygmy <strong>Owl</strong>s are unsociable birds, remaining solitary much of the year. During courtship both sexes call to each other with their mating trill. <strong>The</strong>y also pass food to each other and snuggle closely. Northern Pygmy <strong>Owl</strong>s are almost entirely dependent on old woodpecker cavities for nest sites. <strong>The</strong>y will also nest in natural tree cavities. Nest trees are usually dead and are usually coniferous in the boreal forest and deciduous in more southern areas. Nest cavities range from 3 to 23 metres (10 to 75 feet) above ground, averaging 6 to 7 meters (20 to 23 feet). Eggs are laid between April and June, with clutch size ranging from 3 to 7 (3 - 4 average; may increase from south to north). <strong>The</strong> female does the incubating and brooding while the male brings food and defends the nest. <strong>The</strong> incubation period is about 29 days. Unlike all other North American