Psiloscops flammeolus
The Flammulated Owl (*Psiloscops flammeolus*) is a captivating, diminutive owl of western North America, renowned as the smallest forest owl in the region. Averaging 15-17 cm (6-6.7 inches) in length with a wingspan of 35-40 cm (13.8-15.7 inches) and weighing 45-65 g (1.6-2.3 oz), its mottled gray or reddish-brown plumage provides exceptional camouflage against tree bark. Distinctive field marks include its small size, dark eyes (a rarity among owls, which typically have yellow eyes), and the...
This owl primarily inhabits mature coniferous or mixed coniferous-deciduous mountain forests, typically found at elevations ranging from 1,500 to 3,000 meters (5,000-10,000 feet) during the breeding season.
The Flammulated Owl is almost exclusively insectivorous, preying primarily on moths, crickets, beetles, and grasshoppers. It captures most of its prey through aerial hawking or gleaning from vegetation.
Strictly nocturnal, the Flammulated Owl spends its days roosting quietly in dense tree foliage, tree cavities, or against tree trunks, relying heavily on its superb camouflage. It employs a sit-and-wait foraging strategy, primarily launching from a perch to hawk flying insects (aerial sallying) o...
The Flammulated Owl breeds across the mountainous regions of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia, Canada, south through the Cascade Range and Sierra Nevada of California, and along the Rocky Mountains through Arizona, New Mexico, and western Texas. Its breeding range c...
Least Concern
- The Flammulated Owl is the smallest forest owl in North America. - It is one of only two owl species in North America with dark eyes, the other being the Northern Hawk Owl. - This tiny owl undertakes one of the longest migrations of any North American owl, traveling up to 3,000 km (1,860 miles)...