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Ferruginous Pygmy Owl - BirdForum Opus

Revision as of 23:40, 21 August 2013 by Deliatodd-18346 (talk | contribs) (Picture of rear eyes. Misc additions. References updated)
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Photo by Ciro Albano
Ribeiro Gonçalves, Piauí State, Brazil, January 2005
Glaucidium brasilianum

Includes Ridgway's Pygmy-Owl; Tucuman Pygmy-Owl

Identification

16-18 cm
Red, brown, and grey morphs occur, and tail varies having whitish, orange-buffy, or no bars. As with most Pygmy-Owls, there are pale areas on the back of the head imitating an extra pair of eyes.

Distribution

From Arizona and south-east Texas through Mexico and Central America to South America where found east of the Andes to Argentina.

Showing the rear 'eyes'
Photo by njlarsen
Hazienda Chichén, Yucatan, Mexico, May 2012

Taxonomy

In the past, Austral Pygmy-Owl has been considered part of Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl. Konig et al.2 additionally have split subspecies ridgwayi (including cactorum and the not universally recognized saturatum) as the full species Ridgway's Pygmy-Owl Glaucidium ridgwayi which would include the birds from Panama to the USA; this has not been recognized by any of the world-wide checklists. Tucuman Pygmy-Owl (ssp tucumanum) is also sometimes split as full species.

Subspecies

Thirteen subspecies are recognized by Clements1.

  • G. b. cactorum: South-eastern Arizona and western Mexico (Sonora to Oaxaca)
  • G. b. saturatum: Southern Mexico (Chiapas) and Guatemala
  • G. b. ridgwayi: Southern Texas (lower Rio Grande Valley) to Panama (Canal Zone)
  • G. b. medianum: Tropical lowlands of northern Colombia
  • G. b. margaritae: Isla Margarita (Venezuela)
  • G. b. phaloenoides: Tropical northern Venezuela, Trinidad and the Guianas
  • G. b. duidae: Tepuis of southern Venezuela (Mount Duida)
  • G. b. olivaceum: Tepuis of southern Venezuela (Mount Auyan-Tepuí)
  • G. b. ucayalae: Eastern base of Andes of south-eastern Colombia to Peru and northern Bolivia
  • G. b. brasilianum: Southern Amazonian Brazil to eastern Paraguay, Uruguay and north-eastern Argentina
  • G. b. pallens: Chaco of eastern Bolivia, western Paraguay and northern Argentina
  • G. b. stranecki: Southern Uruguay to central Argentina
  • G. b. tucumanum (Tucuman): Subtropical western Argentina (Salta and Tucumán to Córdoba)

Habitat

A wide variety of habitats from primary lowland forest to coastal scrub and semi-open areas.

Behaviour

Crepuscular, with some activity at both day and night (especially moon-lit nights). May even spontaneously sing in the middle of the day and is easily provoked to do so by imitation.

Diet

Their diet includes eggs and chicks.

References

  1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, B.L. Sullivan, C. L. Wood, and D. Roberson. 2013. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.8., with updates to August 2013. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
  2. König, C., F. Weick, & J.-H. Becking. 1999. Owls - a guide to the owls of the world. Yale University Press. ISBN 0300079206

Recommended Citation

External Links


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