Central American Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium griseiceps) | Photos, Calls and ID

LCLeast ConcernOmnivore

ForestCavity nestSmall · 51 g

Central American Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium griseiceps), photo 1 — Photo: Roger A. Morales-Flores · CC BY 4.0

Central American Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium griseiceps), photo 2 — Photo: Roger A. Morales-Flores · CC BY 4.0

Central American Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium griseiceps), photo 4 — Photo: Roger A. Morales-Flores · CC BY 4.0

Central American Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium griseiceps), photo 5 — Photo: Roger A. Morales-Flores · CC BY 4.0

Central American Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium griseiceps), photo 6 — Photo: Roger A. Morales-Flores · CC BY 4.0

Central American Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium griseiceps), photo 7 — Photo: Roger A. Morales-Flores · CC BY 4.0

Central American Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium griseiceps), photo 8 — Photo: Roger A. Morales-Flores · CC BY 4.0

Central American Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium griseiceps), photo 9 — Photo: (c) Roger A. Morales-Flores, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Central American Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium griseiceps), photo 10 — Photo: (c) Roger A. Morales-Flores, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

What the Central American Pygmy Owl sounds like

Sonogram of the Central American Pygmy Owl: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.

Recorded by Beth Cottam · Call · Tres Equis, Turrialba, Provincia de Cartago, Costa Rica · CC0 · via xeno-canto

Recorded by Oliver Komar · Song · Darién Province, Panama · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto

ID tip

The Central American pygmy owl is 13 to 18 cm (5.1 to 7.1 in) long. Males weigh 50.6 to 58.8 g (1.78 to 2.07 oz) and females about 56 g (2.0 oz). Adults' crown and nape are grayish brown; the crown has buff to whitish spots and the nape dark "false eyes". Their upperparts and tail are rich brown and the tail has pale bars across it. Their underparts are whitish with reddish brown streaks. The juvenile's crown and nape are gray; the crown is unspotted and the nape's false eyes are sooty. Voice: The Central American pygmy owl's song "begins with 2–4 equally spaced hoots, followed by very brief pause, then series of 6–18 very similar notes, 'huu-huu, huu-huu-huu...'". It is sometimes preceded by trills.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Central American Pygmy Owl

One bar for each month. Filled bars are the 9 months with records; pale bars are months with none. The wide bar is March, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Central American Pygmy Owl

Regular range

The map shades 9 countries with regular records. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

Costa Rica Belize Panama Mexico Guatemala Honduras Colombia Nicaragua Ecuador

About the Central American Pygmy Owl

The Central American pygmy owl is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Colima Pygmy OwlGlaucidium palmarumThe Colima pygmy owl is 13 to 15 cm (5.1 to 5.9 in) long.

Andean Pygmy OwlGlaucidium jardiniiThe Andean pygmy owl is 15 to 16 cm (5.9 to 6.3 in) long.

Cloud-forest Pygmy OwlGlaucidium nubicolaThe cloud-forest pygmy owl is a small owl, 14.5 –16 cm (5.7–6.3 in) in length with a 92.8–96.3 cm (3.7–3.8 in) wingspan.

Side by side: Andean Pygmy Owl vs Central American Pygmy Owl · Central American Pygmy Owl vs Colima Pygmy Owl · Central American Pygmy Owl vs Puerto Rican Owl · Central American Pygmy Owl vs Cloud-forest Pygmy Owl

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