Photograph courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Every day another pygmy owl's habitat is destroyed. Because of this they are becoming endangered. They are a fascinating type of bird, and they do need our help in order to survive. Even though pygmy owls are small, they have big bright yellow eyes. We want to help protect these pygmy owls by educating people.
The male Pygmy Owls weigh around 2.2 oz. Female about 2.7 oz. An average Pygmy Owl's wingspan can be anywhere from 14.5 inches to 16 inches. Their body length is around 6.5 inches to 7 inches, and their tail length is 2 inches to 2.75 inches. Pygmy owls live in Sonoran deserts and can be found in wooded or semi open habitats. An average lifespan of a pygmy owl is around seven years. They eat mostly insects, such as grasshoppers, crickets, caterpillars, scorpions and other large insects. Also, their diet can consist of birds, small mammals, amphibians, and reptiles (often lizards.)
In March 1997 the Pygmy Owl was added to the list of endangered species under federal law. The Pygmy owl's future is in grave danger because its habitat is being destroyed. Pygmy Owls used to be very common and could be found in Arizona from the New River north of Phoenix to the Mexican border. Now only around 50 remain in the state of Arizona. One thing we need to think about is saving these friends of ours, Pygmy owls. How could we save these owls? What we could do, is before we destroy their homes we could move them all to a safe place like a national forest so they will hopefully be safe and not get killed. This may help save some of these owls and keep their species alive.
A pygmy owl that we drew. This pygmy owl is fuzzy and cute!! So lets save these endangered animals!
copyright 2005 mileszebra18
Information on the Internet
- Owling.com Homepage This page has wonderful pictures of all sorts of owls. It is also very informative about any owl you want to know about.
- Sonoran Desert Conservative Plan This site has great short facts about the Pygmy Owl. It also goes into great discriptions about the habitats that the Pygmy Owls live in.
