Eurasian pygmy owl

Eurasian Pygmy Owl
Scientific classification
Kingdom Information
Domain	Eukaryota
Kingdom	Animalia
Subkingdom	Bilateria
Branch	Deuterostomia
Phylum Information
Phylum	Chordata
Sub-phylum	Vertebrata
Infraphylum	Gnathostomata
Class Information
Superclass	Tetrapoda
Class	Aves
Sub-class	Neornithes
Infra-class	Neoaves
Order Information
Order	Strigiformes
Family Information
Family	Strigidae
Sub-family	Striginae
Genus Information
Genus	Glaucidium
Species Information
Species	G. passerinum
Population statistics
Population	1,120,000 + (2016 est.)
Conservation status	Least concern

The Eurasian pygmy owl (Glaucidium passerinum) is a small owl of the family Strigidae, and found over much of central to eastern Europe and Asia.

Description

The Eurasian pygmy owl is the smallest species of owl in Europe, with a body length of 6 to 7.5 inches, a wingspan of 13.7 to 15.7 inches, and a weight of 1.76 to 2.71 ounces. Females are larger than males. The upper body plumage is grayish-brown or dark brown with white spots, which are smaller on the head and larger on the back. The bottom is white with brown longitudinal stripes. There is a dark spot with white marks on the sides of the goiter and chest. The tail is gray-brown with five narrow white longitudinal stripes. The head is small, round, slightly flattened, and bears no "ear" tufts. The face is gray with small brown spots, concentric white and brown rings around each eye, and short white "eyebrows" above the eyes. The eyes and beak are yellow; the claws are strong, sharply bent, black or yellow, with the legs densely-feathered to the toes.

Subspecies

• Glaucidium passerinum orientale; central and eastern Siberia to Manchuria
• Glaucidium passerinum passerinum; Scandinavia, mountains of Europe to Siberia, Sakhalin Island, and northeastern China

Range and habitat

The Eurasian pygmy owl is widespread in Europe and Asia; it is found in central and southern Scandinavia (up to the Arctic Circle), in the mountains of Central and Eastern Europe (Serbia, Northern Italy and the Pyrenees), in Russia, as well as in the northern part of Mongolia and Manchuria. In the European part of Russia, it is found up to the northern boundary of the forest on the Kola Peninsula and Arkhangelsk region; to the south it is found the Carpathians, Smolensk, Ryazan, Tula regions, Buguruslan, Tyumen, Altai, Sayan, Transbaikalia, and the Ussuri basin. In Siberia it is found approximately to the northern part of Lake Baikal and eastward to Sakhalin. They are resident birds, but in cold winters they will sometimes move to the south. Its habitat is generally tall, coniferous or mixed montane forested areas or taiga.

Diet

The Eurasian pygmy owl hunts during the day, at dawn, and at dusk. Its feed consists of small mammals, mainly mouse-like rodents (shrews, hamsters, gray rats, lemmings and other voles, forest and house mice), as well as small passerine birds; prey items can include animals up to its own size. It will sometimes consume only the brain and eyes of prey, discarding the rest of the animal. Fledged chicks also prey on insects. The hunting range of ​​the owl covers up to 1.5² miles. These owls also have a habit of collecting and storing prey items for later, especially in winter, which are stacked in hollows. Bird feeders are also covered, where they watch and wait for the appearance of small birds.

Reproduction

The mating season begins in February and lasts until May. The male begins to sing near the nesting place, calling the female. It starts to whistle long before dark, and in cloudy weather it also whistles during the day, with calls sometimes lasting for more than an hour without interruption. Evening currents are more intense than morning ones. The height of the current falls in April. Eurasian pygmy owls are monogamous birds, and mate for life.

Old woodpecker nests usually serve as nests for the owls. The tree used for nesting is either coniferous or birch, aspen or beech. The pair brings the nest in perfect order before the female lays eggs. The size of the clutch varies depending on the local prey availability. In Russia, the clutch most often contains 2-3 eggs, while in Western Europe it is from 4 to 7 eggs. The eggs are matte-white in color, approximately 28 mm x 23 mm in size. Shelving occurs at intervals of 2 days. Incubation lasts 28-29 days. During incubation, the female enlarges the nest, tearing small pieces from the walls of the hollow with her beak.

Chicks are covered with white fluff after hatching, which then changes to a dark brown plumage, darker than that of adult birds. The male brings food, which the female takes from him near the nest and carries to the chicks. After about three weeks, the chicks begin to peek out of the nest, which they begin to leave on the 30th to 34th day after hatching. They are dependent on the parent birds for a further 4 to 6 weeks. Chick are fully mature after one year.