SHADOWY BIRDS OF THE NIGHT 



239 



Pygmy Owl 

 {Glaucidium gnoma) 



With the rapid fall of darkness in deep- 

 walled Oak Creek Canyon in north-central 

 Arizona there came a slow, whistled call, 

 uttered in mournful cadence, from distant 

 shelter near the cliffs. At my imitation of 

 the notes answer followed quickly, and after 

 two or three repetitions a little pygmy owl 

 alighted in the tree above me to peer down 

 balefully with distended eyes and jerking 

 tail, searching for the intruder that had 

 dared to invade its special territory (p. 240) . 



Various birds are attracted by this call. 

 On my first experience with it in the Chiri- 

 cahua Mountains near the Mexican border 

 a screech owl came, leaving me much puz- 

 zled for a time as to whether or not this was 

 the owl that produced the strange and un- 

 usual note. In daytime, as I stood in deeply 

 shaded gulches, the whistled imitation of 

 the pygmy owl call has brought about me 

 in scolding flocks kinglets, hermit thrushes, 

 warblers, and other small birds, ready to 

 mob the disturber of their rest. 



Pygmy owls are found in forested coun- 

 try, usually about gulches and canyons, 

 where they nest in old woodpecker holes or 

 similar cavities in trees or stumps. The 

 family ordinarily numbers three or four. 



Active to some extent by day, they often 

 feed on grasshoppers and other insects. 

 They also eat mice and other small mam- 

 mals, lizards, frogs, and small birds, the 

 latter including English sparrows. In Cali- 

 fornia these owls have been known to kill 

 pocket gophers, good indication of their 

 strength and prowess, as the mammal is cer- 

 tainly as large and heavy as the owl. They 

 will also strike birds as large as a robin. 



This owl has two color phases, one gray- 

 ish and one rufescent. 



Five races of the pygmy owl are found in 

 the region from southeastern Alaska, British 

 Columbia, and Wyoming south to Baja Cali- 

 fornia and Arizona. Another form ranges 

 from the highlands of Mexico to Guatemala. 



Ferruginous Pygmy Owl 



{Glaucidium brasilianum ridgwayi) 

 This tiny owl, closely related to the 

 ordinary pygmy owl, is widely distributed 

 in tropical America, ranging north barely 

 within the border of the United States. 

 Though small, it is fierce and rapacious. 

 It has been known to attack birds several 

 times its size, tearing at them until they 

 were worn out and at its mercy (p. 240). 



The nest of this owl is placed in old 

 woodpecker holes and similar hollows, where 

 the eggs are laid without nesting material. 

 By day the bird generally hides in thickets, 

 but since it is often abroad to hunt, it is far 

 from being strictly nocturnal. 



The black spots on either side of the neck 

 seem to natives in South America to resem- 

 ble eyes, so owls of this type are known in 

 Spanish as "four eyes," in the belief that 

 they can see both before and behind. 



The ferruginous pygmy owl ranges from 

 the lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, and 

 southern Arizona south to Panama, with 

 allied forms in South America. 



Elf Owl 



(Micropallas whitneyi) 



Tiniest of all our owls, no larger than a 

 sparrow, the elf owl is abroad mainly at 

 night, so that it is far more abundant than 

 ordinarily may be supposed. It is found in 

 the Southwest, in the country of the saguaro, 

 or giant cactus. Living in old woodpecker 

 holes in the trunks of this cactus, it is secure 

 from most enemies (pages 220, 221, 240). 



When captured, elf owls often feign death, 

 lying limp and motionless until chance offers 

 escape, when they dart away instantly to 

 safety. They have been seen also raising 

 one wing and extending it in front of them, 

 so that, hidden behind this shelter, they had 

 no appearance whatever of being a bird. 

 Though confined to the giant cactus belt 

 while breeding, elf owls later may wander 

 afield and are sometimes found in growths 

 of willows or similar dense cover. 



Eggs are laid in a woodpecker hole with- 

 out nesting material. Occasionally the owls 

 preempt occupied nests, as their eggs have 

 been found mingled with those of the wood- 

 pecker, with the owl in possession. 



The elf owl feeds almost entirely on in- 

 sects, with occasional mice, and in captivity 

 has been known to starve rather than eat 

 birds. In its hunting it seems to be wholly 

 nocturnal. 



Whitney's elf owl {Micropallas whitneyi 

 whitneyi) ranges from southeastern Cali- 

 fornia and southwestern New Mexico into 

 Sonora. The Texas elf owl {Micropallas 

 w. idoneus), grayer above, is found from 

 the lower Rio Grande to the Valley of 

 Mexico. Sanford's elf owl {Micropallas w. 

 sanfordi), paler gray, is confined to south- 

 ern Baja California. A related species is 

 restricted to Socorro Island, of the Revilla 

 Gigedo group, west of Mexico. 



