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Description

 

The Cactus ferruginous pygmy owl is a very small bird that averages about six and half inches long, and weighs a little over two ounces. The feathers on their backs are brown, and their underside is a creamish color with thin brown stripes. Streaks are visible on top of their heads, and black spots outlined in white to imitate eyes are on the back. The owls’ eyes are yellow and round. The Cactus ferruginous pygmy owl can be differentiated from others in its genus because its tail is usually longer and it does not have tuffs on its ears.  

 

 

Cactus Ferruginous Pygmy Owl

Habitat

 

Cactus ferruginous pygmy owls live in desert habitats located in southern Arizona and northwestern Mexico. These owls live close to the ground at elevations below 1,219.2 m (4,000 ft).

  • Needs = Cactus ferruginous pygmy owls prefer desertscrub thickets, large cacti (like the organ pipe cacti), and desert trees for both roosting and nesting. Some of the desert trees that these owls like are; ironwood, saguaro, mesquite, and acacia. These owls also must be in an area with woodpeckers, because they make the owls’ nests.

 

Trophic Strategy 

 

Cactus ferruginous pygmy owls eat lizards, insects, birds, frogs, earthworms, and small rodents. In fact, these owls are so ferocious that they can kill a bird up to twice their size.

 

Behavior

 

 The Cactus ferruginous pygmy owls are diurnal, which means that they hunt during the day. These owls do not migrate, and they nest during the early spring and winter. Owls tend to stay in their nests, so they usually hunt from tree perches close to their home.

 

Reproduction

 

 Cactus ferruginous pygmy owls only mate once a year in the late winter or early spring. They lay about three to five eggs, which are mostly white in color and hatch after 28 days. Both of the parents feed the babies and protect them while they are in the nests. The babies leave the nest about a month after they hatch and usually stay close to their parents before they are ready to live on their own.  

 

Impacts

 

 The primary impact on the Cactus ferruginous pygmy owl’s population is the loss of their habitat. These owls used to be found in ranges from Phoenix to Mexico, but can now only be found in Tucson areas around the Mexican border. Only around fifty of them are left in these areas. The Cactus ferruginous pygmy owl was named endangered under the Endangered Species Act in 1997.  

  • Human activities = Humans have impacted the owls’ population by simply moving to desert areas, which negatively changes the desert environment and ecosystem that the owls live in. Some of the detrimental human activities include; logging, wood-cutting, and livestock overgrazing.

 

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