Courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceThe northern pygmy owl is small, but an aggressive hunter.

Northern pygmy owl

Scientific name: Glaucidium gnoma

Characteristics: A smallish owl with yellow eyes, a white spotted head, neck and back and a relatively long tail. On its back there are two blackish “eye” patches, and the undersides are brown streaked. Overall, this small owl averages 7 inches in length. Their ear tufts are very inconspicuous.

Breeding: These owls use abandoned woodpecker holes or natural cavities for their nest sites.

Range: Found throughout forested areas of Oregon, including the Coast Range, Klamath Mountains, Cascade Mountains and Blue Mountains; these are Western owls that breed from southern Alaska into Mexico.

Habitat: Found in a variety of habitats including forests, even at high elevations, lower woodlands and residential areas.

Food: Eats a variety of prey, from beetles to songbirds to small mammals; may take prey larger than themselves. Sometimes will visit backyard bird feeders to prey on other visitors.

Comments: These dwarfish owls have an evenly spaced whistled call that is best imitated with a key of C recorder. Sometimes the call includes a faster trill. These small owls are easily overlooked, but look for songbirds mobbing an area — a pygmy or other owl may be perched there. Birders often imitate this whistled note to draw in songbirds or to get a response from a pygmy owl. Often seen during the day, these owls are also active at night. Their species name “gnoma” refers to their gnomelike stature.

Current viewing: Watch for these owls in backyards, low elevation woodlands or higher elevation coniferous forests. May be seen in juniper woodlands; small songbirds will mob these birds to drive them away.

— Damian Fagan is an East Cascades Audubon Society volunteer and COCC Community Learning instructor. He can be reached at damian.fagan@hotmail.com.

Sources: Oregon Department of Wildlife Resources and “The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds” by John Terres