Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- taxon
- Parent taxon
- Micrathene
- Named after
- elf
- Image
- Elf Ow Cropped very small.jpg
Show 2 more facts
- P105
- species
- P141
- Least Concern
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Article
The elf owl (Micrathene whitneyi) is a small grayish-brown owl about the size of a sparrow found in the Southwestern United States, central Mexico, and the Baja California peninsula. It has pale yellow eyes highlighted by thin white "eyebrows" and a gray bill with a horn-colored tip. The elf owl frequently inhabits woodpecker holes in saguaro cacti; it also nests in natural tree cavities. It is nocturnal and feeds primarily on insects.
Taxonomy
Gallery (2)
Connections
Categories
Birds described in 1861Birds of MexicoBirds of the Rio Grande valleysBirds of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic BeltCommons link from WikidataFauna listed on CITES Appendix IIFauna of the Sonoran DesertIUCN Red List least concern speciesMeso-American wintering birdsMicratheneNative birds of the Southwestern United StatesNatural history of the Revillagigedo Islands