Bird Informer: Elf Owl: Bird Identification, Habits, Facts, Nesting

The elf owl is a member of the owl family Strigidae with many different nicknames. It’s also known as Sanford’s elf owl, Texas elf owl, and Whitney’s elf owl.

In North America, two of the four recognized elf owl species are located and live here. The Texas elf owl resides in southern Texas, which shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone based on its name. You’ll find it along the southern tip of Texas all the way into central Mexico.

The Whitney’s elf owl is known to breed throughout the Southwest United States, but it also migrates for the winter into the south in Mexico.

Besides these critical facts, I’ll tell you other information about this interesting owl and share it with you today. The topics I’ll cover include:

Identifying qualities of the elf owl
Fun and interesting elf owl facts
Elf owl characteristic differences between females and males
Migratory habits, feeding habits, dietary preferences, nesting behaviors
Additional elf owl facts and information

To learn more interesting facts and information about elf owls, please continue reading.

Elf Owl Bird Facts

Common Name: Elf Owl
Scientific Name: Micrathene whitneyi
Scientific Family: Strigidae
Life Span: 3-6 years
Size: 5.0 to 5.75 inches
Wingspan: 13.5 to 16.5 inches
Weight: 1.0 to 1.5 oz
Conservation status: Least Concern

How To Identify An Elf Owl

one way to identify an elf owl is by their lack of ear tufts. They do not have any pointy feathers sticking out of the top of their round heads. They have grayish brown feathers, and pale yellow eyes, and their eyes have thin white eyebrows highlighting them. Their bill has a horn-colored tip and it’s mostly gray.

Differences Between Male & Female

There is really only one major difference between male and female elf owls. Their look is practically identical. But they definitely differ in size. On average, a female elf owl is typically 3%-6% heavier than her male counterpart. She also has a larger wingspan.

Differences In Summer Plumage vs Winter Plumage

The color of elf owl plumage remains the same whether it’s summer, winter, spring, or fall. It does not change with the seasons.

Where You’ll See Elf Owls

Elf owls have a presence in the United States of America as well as central Mexico. In the US, these owls like to spend their time in desert cactus habitats and woodlands in the southwestern part of Texas. They also make their home in southern Arizona and New Mexico as well, because they like the hot desert climate. Besides these places, you can also find them in Central Mexico and Baja California.

Elf Owl Migration Patterns

These owls will migrate to the southwestern part of the United States of America in New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, and California. They specifically Margarita these areas in the spring and summer months for breeding purposes. In the winter, they will actually leave the area and spend the colder winter months in central and southern Mexico, but they begin heading up north once again in mid-April or early May.

Diet and Feeding Preferences

The elf owl is very similar to other owls because it is a nocturnal predator. The diet of the elf owl is mostly made up of insects including grasshoppers and scorpions. They are also carnivores and they will eat small lizards, mice, and other mammals or small creatures. They are even known for eating crickets, moths, and beetles in the desert regions of Arizona.

Elf Owl Nesting Facts

Clutch Size: 1-5 eggs
# of Broods: 1 brood
Incubation Period: 24 days
Nestling period: 28-33 days
Egg Description: White

Elf owls prefer to nest or abandoned woodpecker holes and natural tree cavities found in sycamores, Oak trees, and giant cacti. More often than not, these nests are anywhere from 15-35 feet off the ground.

Elf owls will even tolerate nesting boxes in neighborhoods that are filled with plenty of trees. So, if you’re looking to attract an elf owl, you may choose to put up a nesting box in your backyard.

Elf Owl Behavior

When this owl is captured, this tiny little bird will actually play dead. It will act like it is dead until it is no longer in danger.
This creature is not a very aggressive bird. In fact, instead of getting into a fight, the bird will take a nonaggressive action and actually fly away from the potential danger. This is likely because it’s one of the smallest owls in the world.
This owl mainly consists of nocturnal insects, which are very difficult to find in desert regions because it gets too cold at certain times of the year. That’s why this owl tends to migrate during the winter months and it will spend time in the southern part of Mexico where it is much warmer.
As a nocturnal creature, the majority of the activity that this owl enters into will take place prior to dawn or immediately at dusk.
When this tiny owl moves, it does so by hopping and walking. It also has the ability to climb, which is very similar to a parrot. But it doesn’t spend too much time flying.
During the hunt, this creature will strike its prey in a straight line. When flying between perches, they do so in a U-shaped arc, but they actually prefer to harbor and glide during flight.
Not every population of this owl is migratory. There are sedentary populations that remain in the same place, which is typically a warmer climate like Mexico.

Tips for Birdwatchers On How To Attract Elf Owls

It’s definitely possible to attract this creature to your backyard. Some tips to consider include the following options:

Place a nesting box in your backyard. This is going to be very effective if you happen to live in a place with lots of trees or a densely wooded area. They like to live in tree cavities, but they will also move into a nesting box when it’s available.
Avoid mowing your lawn as often as you possibly can. This makes it possible for small insects, rodents, reptiles, and other tiny mammals to have places to hide in your backyard. They need this prey readily available to have something to feed on.
Consider adding a birdbath to your backyard. Leaving an available water source on hand for them makes it easy for them to have a place to bathe and a proper place on hand to bathe and clean their young ones and mate.
Do not trim your tree branches unless it’s absolutely necessary. Leaving tree branches available for elf owls to perch on will certainly attract them to your backyard.

Conservation Status

The conservation status of this owl is considered Least Concern. What does this mean? It means this minuscule owl isn’t in immediate danger of becoming extinct.

Although the habitats for them have declined throughout the year due to agricultural and home development. So, in certain places like California, because of deforestation, these owls are actually considered endangered. But overall throughout the other parts of the southern United States and Mexico, there are still enough elf owls in existence that it hasn’t officially been declared an endangered species at this time.

Fun & Interesting Facts

Out of every owl in existence today, they are considered the smallest in the world.
Out of every owl in existence today, the elf owl is considered the lightest in the world.
When the elf owl is captured or handled by human beings, it will actually play dead and remain in this state until the human being or predator relaxes its grip and gives the elf owl the opportunity to escape.
If the elf owl were ever to be disturbed, it would produce a noise that sounded like “chee-ur.” This is a loud and relatively annoying screech-like sound that will potentially scare away the disturbance. They also tend to clap their bills together when they are disturbed.
Believe it or not, elf owls do not have to drink water in order to remain hydrated. Their diet actually provides them with ample amounts of water to keep this small and minuscule creature properly hydrated.
Elf owls are known for recycling woodpecker holes. In fact, moving into old woodpecker holes is their favorite nesting spot. They typically find these woodpecker holes in oak trees, sycamore trees, mesquite shrubs, or Saguaro cacti. They’ll usually pick a nesting box or a hole in a telephone pole if a woodpecker hole isn’t available.

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Thursday, September 8, 2022

Elf Owl: Bird Identification, Habits, Facts, Nesting