Photo: User: Sky Jacobs / CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Ferruginous Pygmy Owl
Glaucidium brasilianum
Ferruginous Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium brasilianum) — Owls of North America.
Found across 20 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Ferruginous Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium brasilianum) is a member of the Strigidae family found in Central America & Caribbean, North America and South America. Adults weigh 63.3 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Strigiformes
- Family Strigidae Owls
- Genus Glaucidium
- Species brasilianum
Quick facts
- Weight
- 63.3 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Strigidae
- Order
- Strigiformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Near Threatened
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Ferruginous Pygmy Owl is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open scrub and shrubland, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Ferruginous Pygmy Owl is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Ferruginous Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium brasilianum) is a species of bird in the Strigidae family, part of the order Strigiformes. It is found across Central America & Caribbean, North America and South America. Its distribution covers NA, MA, SA widespread.
It is a medium-sized bird. Adults weighs around 63.3 g, with a wing length of about 9.4 cm and a tail of around 6.3 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
Its mapped global range covers an estimated 14.4 million km² — a very large global range.
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Ferruginous Pygmy Owl?
The Ferruginous Pygmy Owl is a medium-sized bird that weighs around 63.3 g.
Where does the Ferruginous Pygmy Owl live?
The Ferruginous Pygmy Owl is found across Central America & Caribbean, North America and South America with a range covering NA, MA, SA widespread, where it is typically found in wooded and forested habitats.
What family does the Ferruginous Pygmy Owl belong to?
The Ferruginous Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium brasilianum) belongs to the Strigidae family, in the order Strigiformes.
What does the Ferruginous Pygmy Owl eat?
The Ferruginous Pygmy Owl is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Ferruginous Pygmy Owl migrate?
The Ferruginous Pygmy Owl is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Ferruginous Pygmy Owl endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Ferruginous Pygmy Owl make?
1 real field recording of the Ferruginous Pygmy Owl — including its song — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Ferruginous Pygmy Owl's range?
The Ferruginous Pygmy Owl has a mapped global range of about 14.4 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
Meet the Strigidae
A field guide to the Strigidae family — 236 species in the Birbs encyclopedia, with the best-known members to start with.