Eurasian Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium passerinum)

Other Names (World)
Eurasian Pygmy-Owl, Pygmy Owl, Pygmy Owlet, Northern Pygmy-owl(!), Old World Pygmy-owl, European Pygmy-owl (passerinum), Eurasian Pygmy Owl

Family
Strigidae (Typical Owls)

Size
17 - 23 cm
Wingspan: 37 - 41 cm

First Described (Guide)
(Linnaeus, 1758)

Habitat
Mature, open coniferous and mixed boreal forest.

Range (Guide)

Austria (B) (NB), Belarus (B) (NB), Bosnia and Herzegovina (B), Bulgaria (B), China (mainland), Croatia (Local Name: Hrvatska) (B) (NB), Czech Republic (B) (NB), Estonia (B) (NB), Finland (B) (NB), France (B) (NB), Germany (B), Greece, Italy (B) (NB), Kazakhstan (B), Latvia (B) (NB), Liechtenstein (B) (NB), Lithuania (B) (NB), Mongolia (B), Montenegro (B), Norway (B), Poland (B), Romania (B) (NB), Russia (Asian) (B), Russia (Central Asian) (B) (NB), Russia (European) (B) (NB), Serbia (B), Slovakia (Slovak Republic) (B) (NB), Slovenia (B) (NB), Spain (NB), Sweden (B) (NB), Switzerland (B) (NB), Ukraine (B) (NB).

Vagrant to Belgium, Denmark.

Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.

Population
Estimated population is 300,000 - 1,500,000 (2010).

Status LC
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Habits
Commonly crepuscular.

Voice
Song is a series of 10 - 15 rising sharp bullfinch-like fluty whistles, 'pjuu pjuu pjuu...' or 'deu deu deu'. Also a rapid series of mellow whistles. In the fall the song differs: 'chuuk-chuuk-cheek-chik'. The female gives a thin thrush-like 'tseeeeh'.

Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (498)...)

Eurasian Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium) [XC799016]
by Romuald Mikusek from Snieznik Massif, K\u0142odzko County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland (song)

Eurasian Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium passerinum) [XC317923]
by Terje Kolaas from Stolowe Mts. National Park, K\u0142odzko County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland (call)

Subspecies
Sometimes considered to form superspecies with Collared Owlet (Glaucidium brodiei), Pearl-spotted Owlet (Glaucidium perlatum), Northern Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium californicum) and Mountain Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium gnoma) (including recently separated Guatemalan Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium cobanense) and Baja Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium hoskinsii)), but DNA evidence clearly shows that present species and Northern Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium californicum) are not closely related. Subspecies orientale intergrades with nominate in western Siberia and Altai Mts.

The following 2 subspecies are recognised:

passerinum (Linnaeus, 1758) - From Scandinavia and mountains of south, central and eastern Europe eastern across north-western and central Russia and Siberia to Sakhalin and north-eastern China.
orientale Taczanowski, 1891 - Central and eastern Siberia.

References
See References.

Files:

JPG files for Eurasian Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium passerinum) - 10 files

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BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

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