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Oregon’s tiny pygmy owls are adorable little murder machines
OregonLive.com • • science
Key Points:
- Northern pygmy owls are small but fierce predators, weighing about as much as a chicken egg and capable of killing prey much larger than themselves, including chickens and lizards.
- These owls hunt during the day using keen eyesight rather than relying on sound, and they have a diverse diet that includes birds, mammals, insects, and reptiles.
- Researchers have found that the owls' diet varies yearly, with shifts between birds and small mammals, which also affects their breeding success.
- Northern pygmy owls have distinctive false eye spots on the back of their heads to deter predators and are often mobbed by smaller songbirds trying to drive them away.
- Though elusive and difficult to count, northern pygmy owls are fairly common in Oregon forests and are considered of low conservation concern, relying on forest habitats with suitable nesting cavities.
