Mountain pygmy owl
| Northern pygmy owl | |
|---|---|
 |
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| A "mountain" pygmy owl in southeastern Arizona. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Strigiformes |
| Family: | Strigidae |
| Genus: | Glaucidium |
| Species: | G. gnoma |
| Binomial name | |
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Glaucidium gnoma (Wagler, 1832) |
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| Synonyms | |
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Glaucidium californicum |
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Glaucidium californicum
The northern pygmy owl (Glaucidium gnoma) is a small owl native to western North America.
Some experts consider this bird a superspecies with the mountain pygmy owl. The American Ornithologists' Union, the authority for the North American region, does not recognize this split, so the populations are still considered conspecific. Clear differences in the territorial calls by males are the basis for a proposed split, with birds in the high elevations of Arizona and Mexico giving a two-note call while their more northerly congeners give a repeated single-note call. Results from DNA sequence comparisons of cytochrome-b have been weak and inconclusive despite being referenced repeatedly as a justification for taxonomic splitting. Some taxonomists split the northern pygmy owl from the mountain form, in which case the latter takes the nominate form, and the former takes the G. calfornicum specific name.
There are seven recognized subspecies:
Adults are 15–17 cm in overall length (nearly 6 inches) and are gray, brownish-gray or rufous in colour. This owl has a round white spotted head, weakly defined facial disc, and dark upper breast, wings and tail, the latter quite long compared to other owls. The eyes are yellow and the bill is yellowish-green. The bird has two black nape spots outlined in white on the back of its head, which look like eyes. The mid to lower breast is white with darker vertical streaking. Legs are feathered down to the four well-armed toes on each foot.
The northern pygmy owl is native to Canada, the United States, Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. Their habitat includes temperate, subtropical and tropical moist forest, savanna, and wetlands.
In Oregon and Washington they are known to nest and forage in the center of dense, continuous forests, near streams. An example of their habitat is Forest Park in Portland, Oregon, USA. Their breeding habitat includes open to semi-open woodlands of foothills and mountains in western North America.
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Wikipedia