Ferruginous Pygmy Owl

1. Ferruginous Pygmy Owl

2. Ferruginous Pygmy Owl Hunting • Pygmy Owls hunt during the day, most often during dusk and dawn. • They hunt for as long as they need to in order to survive. • Pygmy Owls sit on a perch and watch for their prey. • They catch their prey on land. • They catch their prey while it’s still alive and they break it’s neck with a quickbiteand carry it to a tree to eat it.

3. Ferruginous Pygmy Owl Hunting • Pygmy Owls grab their prey by their super sharp talons and carry it to their nest to eat. • The female has babies, the male hunts for the whole family.

4. When do Ferruginous Pygmy Owls eat? • Ferruginous Pygmy Owls eat mostly at night right after they hunt.

5. What does Ferruginous Pygmy Owls eat? • Pygmy Owls eat lizards, large insects (Dragonfly-Click beetle) and amphibians (narrow-mouth toad) • They also eat scorpions, mammals, (Mouse- Bats) quail, (Birds-Cardinal) and reptiles (Ground skink- Spotted whiptail) • Female owls don’t eat their mate or babies if they are really hungry. • Pygmy Owls never eat plants or bird seeds. • Pygmy Owls eat 12 to 20 grams a day.

6. How do Ferruginous Pygmy owls eat? • Pygmy owls eat their prey whole because they do not have teeth. • They eat big preys by killing it and ripping it to tiny pieces to eat.

7. Ferruginous Pygmy Owl’s Pellets • The Ferruginous Pygmy owl does not ingest feathers and bones of the prey so pellets are not formed.

8. Ferruginous Pygmy owl -nest • Pygmy owls will use an abandoned wood pecker nest or make a nest in a decaying tree line 6 to 40 feet high. Pygmy owl’s nests are usually in coniferous trees in the boreal forest. Pygmy owl’s nest cavities range from 3 to 23 metres.

9. Ferruginous Pygmy Owl -Habitat Pygmy owls live in different parts of North America They will live in the forests, woodlands, deserts, grasslands, rivers, islands, rocky mountains, mixed forests and wetlands

10. Ferruginous Pygmy Owl Habitat • In Canada the Pygmy owl lives in the mountainous interior of British Columbia and south western Alberta. • The Pygmy owl lives in a dense stand of coniferous trees broken by small clearing

11. Ferruginous Pygmy owl climate • Pygmy owl climate is arid habitat.

12. Ferruginous Pygmy Owl - Appearance Pygmy owls have very good vision, like all owls. They have a lemon yellow eye color. They have nostrils, but like all owls, they don’t smell anything!

13. Their whole body appearance • Most pygmy's are red and grey • They can grow about 6 inches from head to tail • Their weight is about 3 ounces • The wing span is about 15-16 inches • They have about 3 talons

14. Their Hearing • Owl’s ears are just little slits. Sometimes they are very long, or just round and small. • Most owls have lopsided ears. One is bigger and higher than the other.

15. Their Behaviour • Did you know that an owl is a silent flier? Yes they are. • Do you wonder how they do it? Well, they fly silently because of these soft little feathers on the bottom of their wings.

16. Ferruginous Pygmy Owl’s Eggs • Ferruginous Pygmy owls lay eggs in early spring (April to June) and they also lay eggs in late winter. • They can only lay 3-5 eggs per year if they’re in a nest. • Their eggs weigh ¼ ounce. • Baby owls can not lay eggs.

17. Owlet’s Appearances • When their born they look really wet. • When they hatch they weigh 50 grams or 2 ounces • The owlet eats its first meal from the mother, the mother puts the food in her mouth and chews it until it’s good enough for the baby, then she feeds the baby.

18. Ferruginous Pygmy Owlets • When the mother is taking care of the owlets the male owl finds food for the baby and mother. • The baby owl eats reptiles, small mammals, dragonflies and other things that the parents eat. • When the female owl is tired of sitting on the eggs the female takes a break and the male sits on the eggs.

19. Owlets • After about a month they start flying.

20. Ferruginous Pygmy OwlLifecycle They lay their eggs between April 20 ~ May 7. They hatch between June 9 ~ August 25. They lay between 1~7 eggs.

21. Eggs • The mom stays with the eggs. The dad brings food and defends the nest. • The mom stays with the eggs for 27~28 days of incubation and another 27~28 days until the babies are ready for their first flight.

22. Ferruginous Pygmy Owl Size • Their body length is 7~8 inches • Wing span is15~16 inches • Wings are 22 ½ ounces

23. Ferruginous Pygmy Owl Life Span • The oldest recorded owl was 8 years and 2 months. • Average lifespan (wild) 3.5 years

24. Sources • The book of north American owls • http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Sitta_pygmaea.html • Owls and Other Birds of Prey Author: World Book’s Animals of the World • Skwri.tamuk.edu/fileadmin/user_upload/docs/bullet-ins/bulletin 5pdf • Nature’s Children owls Author: Elin Kelsey

25. Group Members • Lauren • Julia • Tuyet • Vanessa • Johniel