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World Owl Trust

Friday July 4th, 2008


Ferruginous Pygmy Owl
Glaucidium brasilianum
Click on small image to view larger one   Glaucidium brasilianum
As of February 2005.
Description Small to very small owl. Plumage very variable with grey (gray), brown and red morphs and intermediates known. Grey (gray), brown or red-brown above with variable amounts of paler spots. Often streaked on crown and forehead. Facial disk brown or rufous flecked with white. Paler below with distinct streaks. Eyes yellow.
Size 15-20cm, 46-95g
Range N South America east of Andes as far south as C Argentina.
Habitat Tropical and subtropical forest, forest clearings, riverine forest, also pastureland, parks and gardens with old trees and thick bushes.
Food Insects, small mammals and birds up to thrush size.
Breeding March to June (all year in tropics). Nests in woodpecker holes, tree cavities, holes in sand banks and termite mounds and the old mud nests of the Rufous Horneros Funarius rufus. 3-5 eggs incubated for 24-27 days. Young fledge at about 4 weeks and are independent 2-3 weeks later.
Call Long series of equally spaced, ringing “poip-poip-poip…”.
Status Not globally threatened, and locally common.
Comments This whole group requires further study. Recent vocalisation and DNA work has already discovered the several former races of this species are specifically distinct, and further work may reveal new splits.
Races Some authors include G.ridgwayi (including races cactorum and saturatum), G. peruanum, and G. tucumanum with G. brasilianum. The race ucayalae may be specifically distinct.
G.b.brasilianum NE Brazil to E Paraguay and NE Argentina
G.b.medianum N Columbia, N Surinam, N Venezuela and N Guyanas
G.b.phaloenoides Trinidad and Margarita
G.b.duidae Mt Duida, Venezuela
G.b.stranecki S Uruguay, C & E Argentina
G.b.ucayalae S Venezuela, Amazonian Columbia and Brazil to E Ecuador, E Peru and Bolivia

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