Cactus Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl

Cactus ferruginous pygmy-owl

Glaucidium brasilianum cactorum

Range:

Historical: This non-migratory subspecies is geographically isolated into eastern and western populations. Historically it was documented in Maricopa, Yuma, Santa Cruz, Graham, Greenlee, Pima, and Pinal counties in Arizona, and was found as far north as Cave Creek.

Current: Documented distribution now limited to Pima and Pinal counties as of 1993. In the U.S., the subspecies is also found in southern Texas. In Mexico the subspecies is found in northern Sonora, western Mexico, and northeastern Mexico.

Habitat:

River bottom woodlands and palo verde-cacti-mixed scrub associations of the Sonoran Desert below 1,200 m (4,000 ft) in elevation. Nests are built in cavities, sometimes in trees, but primarily in saguaro cacti whenever they are available. The saguaro cavities, called “boots”, are built by woodpeckers.

Size:

Adult females are typically larger than males. Adults average approximately 17 cm (6.75 in) in length, including the tail.

Life Cycle:

Owls begin nesting in late winter or early spring. About late April, three to five white eggs are laid and these hatch about 28 days later. Young owls are cared for by both parents and leave the nest about 27–30 days after hatching. Owls at the zoo lay eggs about a month earlier than they do in the wild.

Young:

Referred to as owlets.

Diet (wild):

Other birds, lizards, insects, and small mammals.

Life span: About ten years in human care

Conservation status:

Was listed on the US Endangered Species Act previously, currently proposed to be listed as Threatened; identified as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need by the State of Arizona

Threats:

Habitat loss and fragmentation as a result of urbanization, invasive non-native vegetation and agricultural production; climate change/long-term drought which can lead to loss of vegetation cover, reduced prey, increased predation, reduced nest site availability (loss of saguaros) and vegetation community change; small population size in some areas of the owl’s range, which increases risk of local extinction.

Appearance:

Small reddish-brown to somewhat grayish coloration with a cream-colored belly streaked with reddishbrown. Top of the head is slightly streaked, and there are two black “eye-spots” outlined in white on the back of the head. Eyes are yellow and the tail is long for an owl and is reddish-brown in color (ferruginous) with distinct dark bars. There are no tufts on the ears.

Predators:

Other larger birds of prey.

Activity: Crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk)

Did you know?

These birds do not migrate.

At the Phoenix Zoo:

We became part of the breeding research program in 2017 and received our first pygmy-owls in 2018. We are helping by breeding pygmy-owls for release to the wild and helping our partners with monitoring of released owls. Our first pygmy-owl release occurred in 2021, with 22 Zoo-raised owls released in southern Arizona.