The ferruginous pygmy owl (Glaucidium brasilianum) is a small owl that breeds in south-central Arizona and southern Texas in the United States, south through Mexico and Central America, to South America into Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina.

In Central America and South America, it is the most widely distributed pygmy owl and is probably one of the most numerous owl species in those areas. It is found in a wide range of semi-open wooded habitats.

Taxonomy

The ferruginous pygmy owl was formally described in 1788 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with all the other owls in the genus Strix and coined the binomial name Strix brasiliana. Although not cited directly, Gmelin's description was ultimately based on the "Cabure" that had been described in 1648 by the German naturalist Georg Marcgrave in his Historia Naturalis Brasiliae. The ferruginous pygmy owl is now placed with 28 other small owls in the genus Glaucidium that was introduced in 1826 by the German zoologist Friedrich Boie. The genus name is from Ancient Greek glaukidion meaning "little owl" or "owlet". It is diminutive of glaux meaning "owl".

Thirteen subspecies are recognised: Specific examples of what these owls feed on include grasshoppers, crickets, cicadas, scorpions, six-lined racerunners, four-lined skinks, Texas spotted whiptails, creamy-bellied thrushes, pale-breasted thrushes, eared doves, and mice.

Breeding

The breeding season is from late winter to early spring. It is a cavity nesting bird (tree and columnar cactus cavities), laying one to seven white eggs. Incubation is 28 days, with 27 to 30 days to fledging.

Status and conservation

The northernmost subspecies, G. b. cactorum, commonly called the cactus ferruginous pygmy owl, was a listed Endangered species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. It This protected it in south-central Arizona from loss of habitat and buffel grass fires. Buffel grass catches fire very easily, which spreads to cacti, burning the owl's primary habitat. Its range extends over the border into Sonora, Mexico. G. b. cactorum was delisted in 2006. It was also considered to be an Imperiled Subspecies by NatureServe, with the species as a whole considered Secure.

References

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  • Ferruginous Pygmy Owl - Glaucidium brasilianum - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
  • Cactus Ferruginous Pygmy Owl information and Photos
  • Ferruginous Pygmy Owl Rescue
  • Ferruginous Pygmy Owl Photos at peter-haefele.de
  • [https://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/species.jsp?lang=EN&avibaseid=FB3C9414045AB651&sec=summary]