ID Keys: Tiny size, grayish brown overall with speckling, diffuse
streaks on underparts
The Elf Owl is the smallest owl in the world. They have a relatively small
range, summering in southern Arizona, southern New Mexico, far southwestern
Texas, and parts of northern Mexico, and wintering in western Mexico.
In the U.S. portion of their range, they are most often found in the Sonoran
Desert, where they use woodpecker holes in saguaro cacti for nesting.
They also can be found in forested canyon areas. Due to their small
size, they are incapable of hunting most vertebrates, feeding very
heavily on insects, spiders, and scorpions.
Habitat
The Elf Owl inhabits desert scrub, riparian woodlands, thorn forests, mesquite bosques, cactus deserts, and open oak woodlands of the southwestern United States and Mexico. It is especially associated with large saguaro cacti and mature trees containing woodpecker cavities, which provide nesting and roosting sites. The species is most common in arid environments where scattered trees or giant cacti occur within otherwise open landscapes.
Diet
The Elf Owl feeds primarily on insects and other small invertebrates, including moths, beetles, crickets, grasshoppers, katydids, spiders, and scorpions. It hunts mainly at night, capturing prey on the ground, in vegetation, or in flight. Small vertebrates are taken occasionally, but insects make up the vast majority of its diet.
Behavior
Nocturnal, typically only feeding right at dusk or at night. Elf Owls watch for prey from a perch and then fly out to capture prey when spotted. They can glean insects from foliage or stems of plants, but are also capable of capturing flying insects in mid-air.
Nesting
The nest of an Elf Owl is built in a cavity in a tree or large cactus, most often using an old woodpecker hole. The female alone incubates the eggs, but the male will bring her food during that time. Both parents will help to raise the young, but the male does nearly all the hunting for the first few weeks after the young hatch.
Song
The most commonly heard call of the Elf Owl is a crisp high yap, but they also have other calls, including a soft whistled mewing and a series of toots that ascend and then descend in pitch.
Migration
The Elf Owl is a partial migrant. Populations breeding in the southwestern United States, including Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, generally migrate south into Mexico for the winter, while many birds in tropical and subtropical regions of Mexico remain year-round residents. Migration occurs primarily at night, and the species returns to its northern breeding grounds in spring.
Unlikely to be confused with other owls, if seen well. Possibly confused with Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl in range. The Elf Owl is the tiniest owl in North America, with a short tail, round head, pale facial discs, and quick moth-like flight; it lacks the bold rusty barring and longer-tailed, more upright look of the Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl. Ferruginous Pygmy-Owls also show a proportionally heavier bill, a longer tail with obvious dark bands, and often perch conspicuously by day, while Elf Owls are more delicate, grayer, and strongly tied to saguaro deserts and sycamore canyons. Other small owls in the same region, such as the Northern Pygmy-Owl, are larger-headed, longer-tailed, and more heavily streaked below.
Conservation Status
The IUCN lists the Elf Owl as a species of "Least Concern. "The Elf Owl is generally considered a species of low conservation concern and remains fairly widespread across portions of the southwestern United States and Mexico. However, local populations can be affected by the loss of riparian woodlands, removal of large saguaros and cavity-bearing trees, urban development, and habitat fragmentation. Protection of desert riparian habitats and mature cactus and woodland communities is important for maintaining healthy populations.
Photo Information
May 7th, 2008 - Outskirts of Tucson, Arizona - Terry Sohl
