Species BirdsElf Owl

Elf Owl

Micrathene whitneyi

CommonBird
Illustration of Elf Owl (Micrathene whitneyi)

The Elf Owl is the smallest owl in the world, weighing about as much as a golf ball. It nests in abandoned woodpecker holes in saguaro cacti and desert trees in the Sonoran Desert and southwestern Texas. It is insectivorous, capturing moths and scorpions at night — it removes the stingers from scorpions before eating them.

Habitat
Saguaro desert, riparian canyons, and dry oak woodland of the Southwest
Diet
Insects, scorpions, and spiders
How common
Common

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