Elf Owl
| Elf Owl | ||||||||||
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Elf Owl |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Micrathene whitneyi | ||||||||||
| ( Cooper , 1861) |
The elf owl ( Micrathene whitneyi ) is the only species of the owl genus of the elf owl ( Micrathene ). With a body length of 13 to 14 cm, it is one of the smallest owls.
The elf owl has a round body, a short tail and a rounded head without feather ears . Its distribution area includes the southwest of the USA , as well as eastern Mexico and the island of Socorro . It inhabits a multitude of different forest types, dry, grassy lowlands and moist savannas . It can be found up to an altitude of 2,000 meters above sea level.
As a nesting place, he prefers abandoned woodpecker tubes that are up to 10 meters above the ground. It is known for its tendency to nest not only in tree hollows, but also in woodpecker tubes in columnar cacti.
The almost exclusively nocturnal owl hunts mainly large insects.
literature
- John A. Burton (ed.): Owls of the world - development - physique - way of life. Neumann-Neudamm Verlag, Melsungen 1986, ISBN 3-7888-0495-5 .
Web links
- www.owlpages.com about the elf owl.
- Micrathene whitneyi in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2008. Accessed on December 22 of 2008.