Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 5.9–6.7 in
15–17 cm - Wingspan
- 16.1 in
41 cm - Weight
- 1.6–2.2 oz
45–63 g
Other Names
- Petit-duc nain (French)
- Tecolote flameado (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- The Flammulated Owl was once considered rare, but improved census techniques revealed that it is actually quite common. Some consider it the most abundant owl of western pine forests.
- The monotonous flat toot of the Flammulated Owl can be difficult to locate. The softness of the call, together with the gradual beginning and end make its direction hard to detect. In addition, when the owl detects a person, it sings even more softly, making it sound as if the owl is far away.
- Although most small owls eat insects, they also usually eat mice, shrews, and other small vertebrates. The Flammulated Owl eats very few vertebrates at all, and subsists nearly entirely on insects, especially crickets, moths, and beetles. Perhaps this diet is the reason that few Flammulated Owls remain in northern areas over the winter.
Habitat
Forest
Breeds in open pine forest in mountains, especially ponderosa pine forest.
Food
Insects
Nocturnal insects.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 2–4 eggs
- Egg Description
- White with faint creamy tint.
- Condition at Hatching
- Covered in white down, eyes closed.
Nest Description
Nests in tree cavities. Adds no nesting material to cavity.
Nest Placement
Cavity
Behavior
Flycatching
Hunts at night, gleaning insects off of vegetation.
Conservation
Least Concern
Common but considered vulnerable and possibly declining in some areas. On the Audubon Watchlist.
Credits
- McCallum, D. A. 1994. Flammulated Owl (Otus flammeolus). In The Birds of North America, No. 93 (A. Poole, and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.