Brazilian pygmy owl
| Brazilian pygmy owl | ||||||||||
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Ridgway pygmy owl, a subspecies of the Brazilian pygmy owl |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Glaucidium brasilianum | ||||||||||
| ( Gmelin , 1788) |
The Brazilian pygmy owl ( Glaucidium brasilianum ) is a small species of pygmy owl . It occurs from the southern United States through Central America to South America. Several subspecies are distinguished. One of the better-known subspecies is the ridgway pygmy owl ( Glaucidium brasilianum ridgwayi ), which is one of the very rare bird species in the United States and was temporarily given special protection by the Endangered Species Act .
Appearance
The Brazilian pygmy owl reaches a body size of around 17 to 20 centimeters and is therefore a relatively large pygmy owl. Feather ears are missing. The plumage is very variable. There are gray, brown and reddish-brown color morphs. The species is therefore not always easy to distinguish from other pygmy owl species that occur in the same range. Characteristic of the Brazilian pygmy owl are fine light vertical stripes on the forehead and the top of the head. The upper side of the body can be monochrome or have irregular spots. The underside of the body is whitish to yellowish brown with noticeable elongated stripes.
It can be confused with the sick pygmy owl , the Amazon pygmy owl and the Parker pygmy owl , but they are all slightly smaller. The Chaco pygmy owl is also smaller and inhabits drier habitats than the Brazilian pygmy owl. In the Andean pygmy owl and the Yungas pygmy owl , the skull has more spots than vertical stripes. The Patagonian pygmy owl has a tail with thin horizontal stripes, which is missing in the Brazilian pygmy owl.
Distribution area and habitat
The distribution area of the Brazilian pygmy owl is extremely large. It occurs east of the Andes in a very large part of the South American continent. In detail, the distribution area extends from the east of Colombia, Venezuela, east Ecuador, the two Guayanas and the north of Brazil to the east of Bolivia, Paraguay, the north-east and center of Argentina and Uruguay. He is a resident. Only young owls show a dispersion movement. The habitat are tropical and subtropical primary and secondary forests. It prefers to settle in forest clearings and edges, tree-lined pastures, and groves along rivers. It has also opened up human settlement space as a habitat and occurs in parks and large gardens, among other places.
Way of life
The Brazilian pygmy owl is partly diurnal. He can occasionally be observed while waiting in an exposed position during the day. Small birds often hate him. His activity peak is at dusk. Its food spectrum consists of insects, small birds and other small vertebrates such as mice.
It is a territorial bird almost all year round. He indicates his territorial boundaries by loud calls in the South American late winter (mid-August and September) and in autumn (April). He mainly uses abandoned woodpecker holes in trees as a nesting opportunity. But it also breeds in the old nests of the grate potter , in termite nests and in abandoned mammal burrows in clay walls. The clutch consists of three to five white eggs. The laying interval is usually two days. The female breeds alone. The incubation begins when the last egg is deposited. The breeding season lasts between 24 and 27 days.
supporting documents
Single receipts
literature
- Claus König , Friedhelm Weick: Owls of the World . Christopher Helm, London 2008, ISBN 978-0-7136-6548-2
Web links
- Glaucidium brasilianum inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved October 9, 2013.