pygmy owl

The genus Glaucidium was introduced in 1826 by the German zoologist Friedrich Boie.{{cite journal | last=Boie | first=Friedrich | author-link=Friedrich Boie | year=1826 | title=Generalübersicht der ornithologischen Ordnungen, Familien und Gattungen | journal=Isis von Oken | volume=19 | at=cols 969–981 [970] | language=German, Latin | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/27511176 | access-date=2021-05-24 | archive-date=2021-05-24 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210524105112/https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/27511176 | url-status=live }} The type species was designated as the Eurasian pygmy owl by George Robert Gray in 1840.{{cite book | editor-last=Peters | editor-first=James Lee | editor-link=James L. Peters | year=1940 | title=Check-List of Birds of the World | volume=4 | publisher=Harvard University Press | place=Cambridge, Massachusetts | page=127 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/14476598 | access-date=2021-05-24 | archive-date=2021-05-24 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210524105110/https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/14476598 | url-status=live }}{{cite book | last=Gray | first=George Robert | author-link=George Robert Gray | year=1840 | title=A List of the Genera of Birds : with an Indication of the Typical Species of Each Genus | place=London | publisher=R. and J.E. Taylor | page=6 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/13668940 | access-date=2021-05-24 | archive-date=2021-05-24 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210524105112/https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/13668940 | url-status=live }} The genus name is from Ancient Greek glaukidion meaning "little owl" or "owlet". It is diminutive of glaux (γλαυξ) meaning "owl".{{cite book | last=Jobling | first=James A. | year=2010| title=The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names | publisher=Christopher Helm | location=London | isbn=978-1-4081-2501-4 | page=174 | url=https://archive.org/stream/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling#page/n174/mode/1up }}

A molecular phylogenetic study of the owls published in 2019 found that the widely distributed northern hawk-owl (Surnia ulula) is sister to the genus Glaucidium.{{Cite journal | last1=Salter | first1=J.F. | last2=Oliveros | first2=C.H. | last3=Hosner | first3=P.A. | last4=Manthey | first4=J.D. | last5=Robbins | first5=M.B. | last6=Moyle | first6=R.G. | last7=Brumfield | first7=R.T. | last8=Faircloth | first8=B.C. | date=2019 | title=Extensive paraphyly in the typical owl family (Strigidae) | journal=The Auk | volume=137 | issue=ukz070 | doi=10.1093/auk/ukz070| doi-access=free | hdl=2346/93048 | hdl-access=free }}

The genus contains 29 living species:{{cite web | editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela Rasmussen | date=January 2021 | title=Owls | work=IOC World Bird List Version 11.1 | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/owls/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | accessdate=24 May 2021 | archive-date=27 April 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427184654/https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/owls/ | url-status=live }}

• Eurasian pygmy owl (Glaucidium passerinum)
• Pearl-spotted owlet (Glaucidium perlatum)
• Red-chested owlet (Glaucidium tephronotum)
• Sjöstedt's barred owlet (Glaucidium sjostedti)
• Asian barred owlet (Glaucidium cuculoides)
• Javan owlet (Glaucidium castanopterum)
• Jungle owlet (Glaucidium radiatum)
• Chestnut-backed owlet (Glaucidium castanotum)
• African barred owlet (Glaucidium capense)
• Albertine owlet (Glaucidium albertinum)
• Northern pygmy owl (Glaucidium californicum)
• Mountain pygmy owl (Glaucidium gnoma)
• Baja pygmy owl (Glaucidium hoskinsii)
• Guatemalan pygmy owl (Glaucidium cobanense)
• Costa Rican pygmy owl (Glaucidium costaricanum)
• Cloud-forest pygmy owl (Glaucidium nubicola)
• Andean pygmy owl (Glaucidium jardinii)
• Yungas pygmy owl (Glaucidium bolivianum)
• Colima pygmy owl (Glaucidium palmarum)
• Tamaulipas pygmy owl (Glaucidium sanchezi)
• Central American pygmy owl (Glaucidium griseiceps)
• Subtropical pygmy owl (Glaucidium parkeri)
• Amazonian pygmy owl (Glaucidium hardyi)
• East Brazilian pygmy owl (Glaucidium minutissimum)
• Pernambuco pygmy owl (Glaucidium mooreorum)
• Ferruginous pygmy owl (Glaucidium brasilianum)
• Pacific pygmy owl (Glaucidium peruanum)
• Austral pygmy owl (Glaucidium nana)
• Cuban pygmy owl (Glaucidium siju)

The word "pygmy" has its roots in the Greek word "πυγμαῖος" (pygmaios), which means "of the fist," suggesting the small stature of the object in question.{{Cite web |title=pygmy owl {{!}} Search Online Etymology Dictionary |url=https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=pygmy+owl |access-date=2023-10-25 |website=www.etymonline.com |archive-date=2023-12-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231220073758/https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=pygmy+owl |url-status=live }} The earliest evidence of this term's usage to describe species in the Glaucidium genus dates back to the 1850s, believed to be coined by zoologist Spencer Baird.{{Cite web |title=pygmy owl, n. meanings, etymology and more {{!}} Oxford English Dictionary |url=https://www.oed.com/dictionary/pygmy-owl_n?tl=true |access-date=2023-10-25 |website=www.oed.com |archive-date=2023-12-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231220073801/https://www.oed.com/dictionary/pygmy-owl_n?tl=true |url-status=live }}

Kurochkin's pygmy owl (Glaucidium kurochkini) is a fossil species known from the La Brea Tar Pits that likely went extinct during the Quaternary extinction. The supposed prehistoric species "Glaucidium" dickinsoni is now recognized as a burrowing owl, probably a paleosubspecies providentiae. Bones of an indeterminate Glaucidium have been recovered from Late Pliocene deposits in Poland.{{cite book | last=Mlíkovský | first=Jirí | date=2002 | title=Cenozoic Birds of the World, Part 1: Europe | location=Prague | publisher=Ninox Press | page=215 | url=http://www.nm.cz/download/JML-18-2002-CBE.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070611074327/http://www.nm.cz/download/JML-18-2002-CBE.pdf | url-status=dead | archive-date=2007-06-11 }} Fossil material belonging to a new species of Glaucidium was described in 2020 as G. ireneae. The fossils were recovered from Pliocene/Pleistocene transitional strata in South Africa.{{Cite journal|last=Pavia|first=Marco|date=2020-11-15|title=Palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of the Cradle of Humankind during the Plio-Pleistocene transition, inferred from the analysis of fossil birds from Member 2 of the hominin-bearing site of Kromdraai (Gauteng, South Africa)|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277379120304947|journal=Quaternary Science Reviews|language=en|volume=248|pages=106532|doi=10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106532|s2cid=224866137 |issn=0277-3791|url-access=subscription}}

Pygmy owls' ears, similar to other owls, are covered by feathers on the side of the face behind the eyes. To better triangulate sounds and make hunting easier, the pygmy owl's ears may be asymmetrically placed.{{Cite journal |last1=Santillan |first1=Miguel Angel |last2=Sarasola |first2=Jose Hernán |last3=Dolsan |first3=Marcelo |date=June 2008 |title=Ear Tufts in Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium brasilianum) as Alarm response |url=https://bioone.org/journals/journal-of-raptor-research/volume-42/issue-2/JRR-06-81.1/Ear-Tufts-in-Ferruginous-Pygmy-Owl-Glaucidium-brasilianum-as-Alarm/10.3356/JRR-06-81.1.full |journal=Journal of Raptor Research |volume=42 |issue=2 |pages=153–154 |doi=10.3356/JRR-06-81.1 |issn=0892-1016|hdl=11336/81723 |hdl-access=free }} Female owls tend to be bigger than males.{{Cite web |title=Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl |url=https://abcbirds.org/bird/ferruginous-pygmy-owl/ |access-date=2023-10-25 |website=American Bird Conservancy |language=en |archive-date=2023-11-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231104024614/https://abcbirds.org/bird/ferruginous-pygmy-owl/ |url-status=live }}

Some species of pygmy owl, including the northern pygmy owl, have ocelli on the back of their heads.{{Cite web |date=2019-07-02 |title=These Birds of Prey Have Eyes in the Backs of Their Heads |publisher=National Audubon Society |url=https://www.audubon.org/news/these-birds-prey-have-eyes-backs-their-heads |access-date=2023-10-25 |website=www.audubon.org |language=en |archive-date=2023-11-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231104024613/https://www.audubon.org/news/these-birds-prey-have-eyes-backs-their-heads |url-status=live }} These eyespots may contribute to the owls' self-defense against mobbing.

{{Cite journal |last1=Deppe |first1=Caroline |last2=Holt |first2=Denver |last3=Tewksbury |first3=Josh |last4=Broberg |first4=Len |last5=Petersen |first5=Julie |last6=Wood |first6=Kristin |date=July 2003 |title=Effect of Northern Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium Gnoma) Eyespots on Avian Mobbing |url=https://doi.org/10.1093/auk/120.3.765 |journal=The Auk |volume=120 |issue=3 |pages=765–771 }}

File:Eurasian Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium passerinum), Eastern Belgium (14581626193).jpg

Pygmy owl species are found in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. In Northern America, pygmy owls can primarily be found in western North America, with regions encompassing Canada, the United States, and Mexico. In line with the diversity of countries, these animals display incredible flexibility in terms of specific habitats by which they reside.{{Cite web |last=Strøm |first=Hallvard |title=Home range and habitat selection in the Pygmy Owl Glaucidium passerinum |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259292893}} The predominant environment they are found in is forests, ranging from temperate and moist to deciduous woods. However, they can also be found in savannas, wetlands, open woodlands, swamps, and meadows.{{Cite web |title=Northern Pygmy Owl |publisher=The Peregrine Fund |url=https://www.peregrinefund.org/explore-raptors-species/owls/northern-pygmy-owl#:~:text=The%20Northern%20Pygmy-Owl%20is,3,000%20m)%20above%20sea%20level. |access-date=2023-10-25 |website=www.peregrinefund.org |language=en |archive-date=2023-11-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231104024615/https://www.peregrinefund.org/explore-raptors-species/owls/northern-pygmy-owl#:~:text=The%20Northern%20Pygmy-Owl%20is,3,000%20m)%20above%20sea%20level. |url-status=live }} In correspondence with this, their preference for elevation greatly depends on the region they affiliate with. However, the general range of altitudes they prefer are between 3,000 and 6,000 feet above sea level.{{Cite journal |last1=Pačenovský |first1=Samuel |last2=Shurulinkov |first2=Peter |date=January 2008 |title=Latest data on distribution of the Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium passerinum) in Bulgaria and Slovakia including population density comparison |journal=Raptor Journal |language=en |volume=2 |issue=2008 |pages=91–106 |doi=10.2478/v10262-012-0023-5 |doi-access=free}}

The pygmy owl's habitat also depends on availability in their country of residence. In Mexico, they tend to be found in pine-oak and scrub forests, while their Honduras counterparts plant their roots in highland pine and cloud forests.{{Cite web |title=Northern Pygmy-Owl Life History, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology |url=https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pygmy-Owl/lifehistory |access-date=2023-10-25 |website=www.allaboutbirds.org |language=en |archive-date=2023-10-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026030813/https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pygmy-Owl/lifehistory |url-status=live }} Due to their preferred reproduction method of exploiting tree cavities produced by woodpeckers, this forest environment works to their advantage in terms of conserving their energy finding potential nesting locations.{{Cite journal |last1=Baroni |first1=Daniele |last2=Korpimäki |first2=Erkki |last3=Selonen |first3=Vesa |last4=Laaksonen |first4=Toni |date=2020-03-15 |title=Tree cavity abundance and beyond: Nesting and food storing sites of the pygmy owl in managed boreal forests |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037811271932016X |journal=Forest Ecology and Management |volume=460 |pages=117818 |doi=10.1016/j.foreco.2019.117818 |issn=0378-1127|url-access=subscription }}

As an inevitable and at times inadvertent consequence of human development, the pygmy owl's habitat, and by extension the animal itself, is under threat. A broader characterization of human impact on the pygmy owl is climate change, urbanization, agricultural expansion, and more. As a direct result, habitat fragmentation is occurring at an alarming rate—a rate at which the owls cannot adapt to naturally.{{Cite web |date=2023-07-06 |title=Cactus Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl Listed |publisher=U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service |url=https://www.fws.gov/press-release/2023-07/cactus-ferruginous-pygmy-owl-listed |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=FWS.gov |language=en |archive-date=2023-11-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231104024614/https://www.fws.gov/press-release/2023-07/cactus-ferruginous-pygmy-owl-listed |url-status=live }} While the general trajectory of habitat destruction for pygmy owls is that of a declining one, certain regions are experiencing more difficulty than others. For instance, California and Arizona, which typically harbor drier conditions that are exacerbated by climate change, are prime areas that have seen pygmy owl populations decline due to reduced prey and decreased vegetative environments from extreme weather and droughts.{{Cite web |title=Federal Register :: Request Access |url=https://unblock.federalregister.gov/ |access-date=2023-10-25 |website=unblock.federalregister.gov |archive-date=2022-05-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220509232220/https://unblock.federalregister.gov/ |url-status=live }}{{verify source|date=October 2023|reason=No access}}

Under the United States Endangered Species Act, the pygmy owl's critical habitat areas are under federal protection, and their recovery plan is being monitored and implemented constantly to foster long term viability.{{Cite web |title=The US Endangered Species Act |publisher=World Wildlife Fund |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/the-us-endangered-species-act |access-date=2023-10-25 |archive-date=2023-10-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231025211259/https://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/the-us-endangered-species-act |url-status=live }} Such rebound plans are happening at the state and local level concurrently. As governments step up their efforts to protect this species from extinction, they are engaging in habitat acquisition to ensure no private activities are harming the pygmy owls. While public campaigns step up to protect this species, the fact of the matter remains that human impact continues to have a colossal influence on the pygmy owls' existence, and their numbers are decreasing at alarming rates.

{{Reflist}}

{{Wikispecies|Glaucidium}}

{{Commons category|Glaucidium}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20050215001202/http://www.owls.org/Species/glaucidium/glaucidium.htm Pygmy owl information]
• [http://www.owlpages.com/species/glaucidium/californicum/Default.htm Mountain Pygmy Owl]
• [http://www.birdwatching-bliss.com/owl-pictures.html Mountain Pygmy Owl "eyes in back of head"]
• [http://www.owling.com/Ferruginous_Pygmy.htm Ferruginous pygmy owl]
• [http://www.owling.com/Colima_Pygmy.htm Colima pygmy owl]
• [http://www.owlpages.com/species/glaucidium/passerinum/Default.htm Eurasian pygmy owl]
• [http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/science/05/15/pygmy.owl.ap/index.html "Big fight over tiny owl"] - CNN/AP article on pygmy owl's endangered species status in Arizona
• [http://www.opb.org/television/programs/ofg/segment/pygmy-owls/ ' Pygmy Owls''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150715073446/http://www.opb.org/television/programs/ofg/segment/pygmy-owls/ |date=2015-07-15 }} - documentary produced by Oregon Field Guide
• [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/amazon_discoveries The Neblina Pygmy owl] - 2018 BBC internet article on new species found in the Pico da Neblina National Park, Brazil

{{Strigiformes|S.|state=collapsed}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q831376}}

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Category:Taxa named by Friedrich Boie