Elf Owl (Micrathene whitneyi)

Family
Strigidae (Typical Owls)

Size
15 cm

First Described (Guide)
(Cooper, 1861)

Habitat
Subtropical and tropical lowland dry shrubland. From sea-level - 2,100 m.

Range (Guide)

Mexico, USA (B).

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

Population
Estimated population is 190,000 (2010).

Status LC
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Voice
Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (82)...)

Elf Owl (Micrathene whitneyi) [XC654237]
by Isain Contreras Rodr\u00edguez from Forest Rd. 42\/Cave Creek upstream from SWRS, Chiricahua Mountains, Cochise County, Arizona, United States (call)

Elf Owl (Micrathene whitneyi) [XC773038]
by Ivann Romero from Cave Creek Canyon, Main Fork, Chiricahua Mountains, Cochise County, Arizona, United States (begging call, call)

Subspecies
Relationships unclear. Subspecies whitneyi and sanfordi appear to intergrade in north-western Mexico and southern Arizona.

The following 4 subspecies are recognised:

whitneyi (Cooper, 1861) - Breeds south-western USA (extreme southern Nevada, south-eastern California, central Arizona, south-western New Mexico and south-western Texas) south to north-western Mexico (Sonora).
idonea (Ridgway, 1914) - Southern Texas south to central Mexico (south to Puebla, west to Guanajuato).
sanfordi (Ridgway, 1914) - Southern Baja California and parts of Mexican mainland.
graysoni Ridgway, 1886 - Revillagigedo Is (Socorro I).

References
See References.

Files:

JPG files for Elf Owl (Micrathene whitneyi) - 10 files

More Information

BirdLife International

For more information about the Elf Owl see... Show Articles

BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Articles about the Elf Owl

If you would like to read any articles about the Elf Owl...

Show Articles (0)

No Pictures of Elf Owl

If Birdpedia has no pictures of Elf Owl or you would like to see more, then try the following...

Show External Images from BING

From BING (10)

No Videos of Elf Owl

If Birdpedia has no videos of Elf Owl or you would like to see more, then try the following..

Show External Videos

From BING (0)