Elf Owl (Micrathene whitneyi)
Description The elf owl is the smallest owl in North America. Adults are only about 6 inches long from head to tail.
Elf Owl
A Reference for North and Central American Owls
The Elf Owl is the smallest owl in the world. Only one other owl, in a small region of Peru, is close to this tiny.
Elf Owl Photos
It was quite a thrill to catch photos of this guy. My son and I had been hearing them at night at the bed and breakfast we were staying at outside of Tucson, but couldn't see them.
Elf owl Micrathene whitneyi
Identification Tips:
Length: 5.25 inches Wingspan: 15 inches
Very small, nocturnal, predatory bird
Large, rounded head
Yellow eyes
Brown upperparts with white spots
Brown and gray breast with white belly ...
Elf Owls
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The Elf Owl (Micrathene whitneyi) is a member of the owl family Strigidae that breeds in the southwestern United States and Mexico.
Description ...
Elf Owl
Micrathene whitneyi
The Elf Owl (Micrathene whitneyi) is a tiny migratory owl of the American southwest.
A tiny, sparrow-sized owl, the Elf Owl is a resident of deserts, dry shublands, riparian woodlands, and open pine-oak forests in Mexico and southern Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas.
Elf owls nesting in a cactus
Order: Strigiformes Family: Strigidae
Typical owls are small to large solitary nocturnal birds of prey.
The elf owl is the world's smallest owl (about 5 inches long and 1.4 ounces). Other small owls include long-whiskered owlets, Tamaulipas pygmy owls and least pygmy owls.
The elf owl and other nocturnal birds, bats, small mammals, large spiders, centipedes, and lizards prey upon the desert scorpion.
Fun Facts:
Scorpions are the oldest known terrestrial arthropods, having been on earth for 430 million years.
Smallest and Largest: The smallest owl in the world is the Elf Owl (Micrathene whitneyi), which is about 6.1 inches (16 cm) long, has a wingspan of 15 inches (38 cm), and weighs about 1.5 ounces (4g).
Owls vary greatly in size, from the tiny elf owl to the huge eagle-owls. There are over 200 species and they are found on all continents except Antarctica. Owls are predators.
While the Wolf Spider preys on numerous species, it may also become the prey of various other species, for instance, coyotes, screech owls, elf owls and various predatory insects, including a predatory wasp, according to Shook.
SMALLEST OWL
The Elf Owl (Micrathene whitneyi) which is about 6.1 inches (16 cm) long, has a wingspan of 15 inches (38 cm), and weighs about 1.5 ounces (4g).
LARGEST OWLS
The biggest Owls are the: ...
Smallest of the family is the elf owl of the southwestern United States
and Mexico. It is 5 inches long, and nests in woodpecker holes
in large cacti.
Picture Snowy Owl ...
Eastern Screech Owl stayed in the same hole day after day for observing birders. The tram stops right by the hole. There are also Ferruginous Pygmy Owls and Elf Owls in the park.
In southern Arizona and New Mexico, acorn woodpeckers provide elf owls (Micrathene whitneyi) [95], purple martins (Progne subis) [95,129,154], western bluebirds (Sialia mexicana) [10], ...
 See also: Woodpecker, Eagle, Burro, Hawk, Flammulated owl
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