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Birds of Zihuatanejo

CLASS AVES

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Chordates (Phylum Chordata)

-Vertebrates (Subphylum Vertebrata)

-Birds (Class Aves)

-Owls (Order Strigiformes)

-Typical Owls (Family Strigidae)

-Pygmy-Owls and Owlets (Genus Glaucidium)

-Colima Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium palmarum)


Common little owl of tropical lowlands. It can often be seen and heard during the daytime. They prefer open woodland and edge, second growth areas with trees. Color varies from rusty to grayish overall, but all color types have fine whitish streaks on crown (not spots) and numerous, narrow dark tail bars. It hunts a variety of birds, lizards, mammals, and insects.

Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl

Glaucidium brasilianum

Diet

  • Primarily large insects, including beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, cicadas, and moths.

  • Also feeds on small birds, lizards, frogs, mice, and other small mammals.

  • Hunts mainly from exposed perches, making short, rapid flights to capture prey.

  • Unlike most owls, it is primarily active during the day (diurnal) and at dawn and dusk.

Range

  • Found from the southwestern United States through Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and much of South America to central Argentina.

  • Widespread throughout Mexico, including the Zihuatanejo region, where it is a common year-round resident.

  • Inhabits tropical dry forests, thorn scrub, woodland edges, riparian forests, mangroves, second-growth woodland, agricultural areas, and gardens.

  • Occurs from sea level to about 2,000 m elevation.

Male / Female

  • Male: Gray-brown or rufous-brown upperparts with white spotting, pale underparts streaked with brown, yellow eyes, and distinctive false eye spots (ocelli) on the back of the head. Slightly smaller than the female.

  • Female: Nearly identical in plumage but generally larger and heavier.

  • Sexes cannot be reliably distinguished in the field except by size when observed together.

Size

  • Length: 15–18 cm (5.9–7.1 in)

  • Wingspan: 35–39 cm (13.8–15.4 in)

  • Weight:

    • Male: 55–70 g

    • Female: 65–95 g

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