ELF OWLS
BY SOFIA
MEET THE ELF OWL
Elf owls are one of many different types of owls. These tiny
birds stand at about 5 inches tall! Although, they’re small
size doesn’t stop them from being excellent hunters. A fairly
decent night vision helps them capture insects at night. Elf
owls are also not so picky about what they live in. In
addition, this owl’s scientific name is Micrathene whitneyi,
and its name, elf owl, means “little owl” in Greek.
THE ELF OWL’S DIET
The tiny elf owl mainly feeds on small lizards, locusts,
grasshoppers, beetles, moths, crickets, caterpillars, mantids,
centipedes, cicadas, and fly larvae. Occasionally, they might
pick on a mouse or very small bird for a meal. But how do
these little birds catch their prey? Well, the elf owl simply
waits for night to come and then emerges from the darkness.
The owl mostly relies on its good sense of hearing to identify
prey because its night vision is not as well as other owls’.
THE ELF OWL’S
HABITAT
Where do elf owls live? Elf owls live in the Sonoran Desert
Region or where there are many saguaro cacti. The saguaro
cacti, old woodpecker holes, and natural tree cavities provide
what seems to be “home, sweet home” to the owls. The owls
live in the desert until winter. In winter, the owls migrate to
Arizona. When winter’s over, the owls fly back home.
The elf owl lives in
desert-like habitats.
THE ELF OWLS LIFE
The elf owl’s lifespan in the wild is up to 3-6 years. But when
the owl is in captivity it lives up to 6-10 years. When the
female owl finally lays her eggs one day, she has a nest with
2-4 white, round eggs to incubate. The incubation time period
is about 24 days. Then, the owlets hatch and stay in the nest
for about 30 days. The nest is about 15 feet high, which is
slightly vulnerable.
SPECIAL FEATURES
How do you identify the elf owl? By looking at its special
features of course! The elf owl is a greyish brownish color to
help camouflage itself. They have what seems to be whitish
“eyebrows” and they also have a round head with no ear
tufts. In addition, elf owls have pale yellow eyes and a grey
beak.
Grey Beak
Yellow Eyes
Brownish Color
Greyish Color