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Elf Owl
The Elf Owl (Micrathene whitneyi) is a member of the family Strigidae that lives in the Southwestern United States. It is the smallest owl, being about the same size as a sparrow. These owls live mainly in southern Arizona, Texas, and parts of California. In the winter, about September, they migrate to Mexico. They raise their young in woodpecker cavities in Saguaro cacti, sycamores, cottonwoods and other hardwood trees. They are often found in chapparall habitat and are easily found during their breeding season.
Elf owls return to the U.S. in mid-April or early May. During this time they can often be heard just after dusk or at sunset, calling to each other. Their call is a high pitched whinny or chuckle. The male and female dart around the trees and call back and forth. They choose an abandoned woodpecker cavity and the female lays 3 round white eggs. She incubates them for about 3 weeks before the chicks hatch. The young owlets fledge at about 1 month. 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.
Elf owls feast 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 bugs may sleem 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 flight similar to flycatchers just after dusk.
Elf owls are overall gray-brown with white spots on the shoulder and a white bar at the wrist. They are roughly 5 inches tall and have long wings and short tails. Their primary projection extends nearly past their tail. They have fairly long legs and often appear bowlegged.