East Brazilian pygmy owl

The East Brazilian pygmy owl (Glaucidium minutissimum), also known as least pygmy-owl or Sick's pygmy-owl, is a small owl in the typical owl family.

East Brazilian pygmy owl
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Strigiformes
Family:	Strigidae
Genus:	Glaucidium
Species:	G. minutissimum
Binomial name
Glaucidium minutissimum (Wied-Neuwied, 1830)
Distribution of East Brazilian pygmy owl   Resident
Synonyms
Glaucidium sicki Strix pumila Temminck, 1821 Strix minutissima (Wied),1830

Taxonomy

It has been argued that the scientific name used here actually belongs to the Pernambuco pygmy owl, in which case the East Brazilian pygmy owl should be referred to as G. sicki (König & Weick, 2005).^[3] This has not gained widespread recognition.^[4]

Formerly, this species included the Colima pygmy owl, Tamaulipas pygmy owl, Central American pygmy owl, subtropical pygmy owl,^[1] and Baja pygmy owl^[5] as subspecies.

Distribution

This species has a large range. It can be found in southeastern Brazil and easternmost Paraguay.^[6][1]

Habitat

Glaucidium minutissimum. Museum specimen

It inhabits tropical and subtropical moist evergreen forests and edges as well as open bush canopy.^[7]

Description

It is one of the smallest South American owls, averaging at 55 g (1.9 oz) and 15 cm (5.9 in) tall. Wing length can reach 85–91 mm (3.3–3.6 in), while the tail can reach a length of 49–54 mm (1.9–2.1 in). The head is rounded, with no ear tufts. The pale greyish-brown facial disk is not pronounced and shows some rufous concentric lines. The eyes are yellow, with whitish eyebrows. The upper part of the body is relatively dark, rufous-brown with small white spots. Wings are dark brown and relatively short. The tail is dark brown with five pale bars. The lower part of the body is light gray or white, with reddish-brown stripes. The throat shows a rounded whitish area. The legs are feathered, with bristled and yellowish toes. Claws are horn-colored with dark tips. The beak is yellow-green.^[6][8]

Biology

The East Brazilian pygmy owl mainly feeds on small insects and sometimes catches small vertebrates. It is active at dusk and dawn, but occasionally hunts during the day. The song of the male is two to four long notes separated by short pauses.^[6][8]

References

1. BirdLife International (2018). "Glaucidium minutissimum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T22689240A130162980. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22689240A130162980.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
2. "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
3. König, C. & F. Weick. (2005). A new Least Pygmy Owl (Aves: Strigidae) from southeastern Brazil. Stuttgarter Beitr. Naturk. Ser. A. no. 688.
4. South American Classification Committee (2008). Change the name of Least Pygmy-Owl to Glaucidium sicki. Archived 2015-09-19^{(Timestamp length)} at archive.today Accessed 21-11-2008.
5. Lepage, Denis (2003–2007), Avibase - the world bird database, retrieved Sep 22, 2007^{[permanent dead link‍]}
6. Owl Pages
7. Weick, Friedhelm (2006), Owls (Strigiformes): Annotated and Illustrated Checklist, Springer, p. 164, ISBN 978-3-540-35234-1
8. Steve N. G. Howell and Mark B. Robbins SPECIES LIMITS OF THE LEAST PYGMY-OWL (GLAUCIDIUM MINUTISSIMUM) COMPLEX