Elf Owl

Elf owl
Elf Owl
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Strigiformes
Family:	Strigidae
Genus:	Micrathene Coues, 1866
Species:	M. whitneyi
Binomial name
Micrathene whitneyi (Cooper, 1861)

The Elf Owl (Micrathene whitneyi) is a member of the owl family Strigidae that breeds in the southwestern United States and Mexico. It is the world's lightest owl, although the Long-whiskered Owlet and the Tamaulipas Pygmy-owl are of a similarly diminutive length.^[2] The mean body weight of this species is 40 grams (1.4 oz). These tiny owls are 12.5 to 14.5 cm (4.7-5.5 in) long and have a wingspan of about 27 cm (10.6 in).^[3] Their primary projection extends nearly past their tail. They have fairly long legs and often appear bow-legged. They can often be heard calling to one another just after dusk or at sunset. Their call is a high-pitched whinny or chuckle. The male and female dart around trees and call back and forth.

Reproduction

Elf Owls usually choose abandoned, north-facing woodpecker cavities in Saguaro cacti,^[4] sycamores, cottonwoods and other hardwood trees, to raise their young. The female usually lays three round white eggs. The eggs are incubated for about 3 weeks before the chicks hatch. When they are born, Elf owlets are the size of a human thumbnail. The young owlets fledge at about 10 weeks. Usually, chicks are born in mid-June or early July. By the end of July, they are almost always fledged and ready to set out on their own.

Behavior

They are often found in chapparal habitat, and are easily found during their breeding season. They live the cactus in a desert.

Migrating

The elf owl migrates to Arizona and New Mexico in the spring and summer. In the winter, it is found in central and southern Mexico. Migrant Elf Owls return north in mid-August or early May. It is also known as Mae Rose.

Diet

Elf Owls feed mainly on insects and therefore occupy habitats with a ready supply of these. Agaves and ocotillos are ideal places for foraging as moths and other insects may sleep in their flowers. Elf owls are known to eat scorpions, somehow managing to cut off the stinger. They are often seen chasing after flying insects, with a flight similar to a tyrant flycatcher's just after dusk.

Subspecies

The following subspecies are currently recognized:^[5]

• Micrathene whitneyi graysoni Ridgway, 1886 (extinct)
• Micrathene whitneyi idonea (Ridgway, 1914)
• Micrathene whitneyi sanfordi (Ridgway, 1914)
• Micrathene whitneyi whitneyi (J. G. Cooper, 1861)

M. w. idonea, the subspecies in southernmost Texas to central Mexico is resident, as are the isolated M. w. sanfordi of southernmost Baja California and M. w. graysoni (Socorro Elf Owl) of Socorro Island, south-west from the tip of Baja California. The Socorro Elf Owl apparently became extinct in the late 20th century, probably around 1970.

References

1. ^ BirdLife International (2004). Micrathene whitneyi. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
2. ^ http://owling.com/Elf.htm, Owling.com Magazine, Retrieved September 1, 2010
3. ^ Owls: A Guide to the Owls of the World by Claus Konig, Friedhelm Welck & Jan-Hendrik Becking. Yale University Press (1999), ISBN 978-0300079203.
4. ^ Hardy, P., Morisson, M. (2001) The Wilson Bulletin 113(1)pp:23-32
5. ^ "Micrathene whitneyi". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=177912. Retrieved 2011-11-1. 

• "National Geographic" Field Guide to the Birds of North America ISBN 0-7922-6877-6
• Handbook of the Birds of the World Vol 5, Josep del Hoyo editor, ISBN 84-87334-25-3
• "National Audubon Society" The Sibley Guide to Birds, by David Allen Sibley, ISBN 0-679-45122-6

External links

• Elf Owl photo-High Res, & Article fireflyforest.net
• Elf Owl photo gallery VIREO
• Elf Owl Photographs South Dakota Birds and Birding