The Owl Eye Magazine Issue 9

owls, The Northern Pygmy Owl begins incubation only after the clutch is complete, so that young tend to hatch over a period
of 1 to 2 days, rather than one every 1 to 2 days. Young grow quickly, reaching 60% of adult size after 2 weeks. They fledge at
about 30 days, when they are capable of flight. Fledglings are then fed and defended by their parents for a further 20 to 30
days. Family groups tend to break up in late Summer or Autumn. Northern Pygmy Owls are single-brooded. It is not known if
replacement clutches are laid. Nest cavities may be used for several consecutive years by the same birds.
Habitat: Northern Pygmy Owls inhabit open coniferous and mixed forests from valley bottoms up to treeline. They do not
inhabit dense, continuous forest. In all areas they use forest clearings for hunting - along the edges of meadows, fields, wetlands,
and roadsides, and through old burns and logged areas. For roosting they prefer quiet, shady alder thickets. During the breeding
season they inhabit open forests with a selection of snags with old woodpecker cavities.
Distribution: West North America, from British Columbia and southern Alaska south through the Rock Mountains to
California and Arizona, and possibly also to the mountains far north Mexico.
Northern Pygmy Owls are essentially sedentary, except for altitudinal movements downslope in winter. Southward irruptions
during winter may occur in years of food shortage.
Status: Uncertain, locally not rare.
Original Description: Sclater, Philip Lutley. 1857. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London (PZS): Pt. 25, no. 327, p. 4.
References:
Boyer and Hume. 1991. "Owls of the World". BookSales Inc.
Burton, John A.. 1984. "Owls of the world: their evolution, structure and ecology (Rev. Ed.)". Tanager Books.
Campbell, Wayne. 1994. "Know Your Owls". Axia Wildlife.
Duncan, James R.. 2003. "Owls of the World: Their Lives, Behavior and Survival". Firefly Books.
Johnsgard, Paul A.. 2002. "North American Owls: Biology and Natural History". Smithsonian.
König, Claus & Weick, Friedhelm. 2008. "Owls: A Guide to the Owls of the World (Second Edition)". Yale University Press.
König, Weick and Becking. 1999. "Owls: A Guide to the Owls of the World". Yale University Press.
Long, Kim. 1998. "Owls: A Wildlife Handbook". Johnson Books.
Mikkola, Heimo. 2013. "Owls of the World: A Photographic Guide (Second Edition)". Bloomsbury.
Voous, Karel H.. 1988. "Owls of the Northern Hemisphere". The MIT Press.
See also: Other owls from North America, Genus: Glaucidium.
Page by Deane Lewis. Last updated 2015-11-17.