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Photo: Petty Officer 1st Class Marty Parsons of the United States Navy (or Specialist Megan Burnham of the Joint Task Force Guantanamo Public Affairs department. Either way, public domain.) / Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)

Least Concern

Cuban Pygmy Owl

Glaucidium siju

Cuban Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium siju) — Owls of North America.

The Cuban Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium siju) is a member of the Strigidae family found in North America. Adults weigh 69.5 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

LC Least Concern

Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.

Where it fits

  1. Class Aves
  2. Order Strigiformes
  3. Family Strigidae Owls
  4. Genus Glaucidium
  5. Species siju

Where it lives

Cuba

Quick facts

Weight
69.5 g
Family
Strigidae
Order
Strigiformes
Habitat
Woodland

How to identify

Similar birds

Biology & behaviour

Diet

The Cuban Pygmy Owl is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.

Behaviour

A bird of dense forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.

Migration

The Cuban Pygmy Owl is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.

The Cuban Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium siju) belongs to the Strigidae family of the order Strigiformes. It is found across North America. Its distribution covers NA Cuba.

It is a medium-sized bird. Adults weighs around 69.5 g, with a wing length of about 9.7 cm and a tail of around 6.2 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 109,000 km².

Songs & calls

Cuban Pygmy Owl — Song

Recorded by FREDERIC Lionel Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How big is the Cuban Pygmy Owl?

The Cuban Pygmy Owl is a medium-sized bird that weighs around 69.5 g.

Where does the Cuban Pygmy Owl live?

The Cuban Pygmy Owl is found across North America with a range covering NA Cuba, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.

What family does the Cuban Pygmy Owl belong to?

The Cuban Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium siju) belongs to the Strigidae family, in the order Strigiformes.

What does the Cuban Pygmy Owl eat?

The Cuban Pygmy Owl is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.

Does the Cuban Pygmy Owl migrate?

The Cuban Pygmy Owl is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.

Is the Cuban 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 Cuban Pygmy Owl make?

1 real field recording of the Cuban 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 Cuban Pygmy Owl's range?

The Cuban Pygmy Owl has a mapped global range of about 109,000 km².

Conservation

Least Concern

Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.

How to help birds

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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.

1 min read

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