elf owl
Micrathene whitneyi latin

It was a tiny brown feather of an elf owl.

As Archie spoke, he looked up toward the elf owl hole.

"The bird you saw is called an Elf Owl; they are quite common here.

Once, incredibly, an elf owl landed atop a saguaro not ten feet from where she was speaking.

Elf Owls live 3 to 6 years; in captivity they may live up to 10 years.

Elf Owls feed mainly on insects and therefore occupy habitats with a ready supply of these.

It probably made the nest hole the Elf Owl now inhabits."

Since the day we moved from Arizona I've carried the elf owl feather everywhere I go.

The smallest is the Elf owl.

"It would be nice if you were to walk to the saguaro where the Elf Owl is nesting.

Elf owls nested in his chest.

Migrant Elf Owls return north in mid-August or early May.

She was the faintest scent of a cactus flower, the flitting shadow of an elf owl.

The Socorro Elf Owl apparently became extinct in the late 20th century, probably around 1970.

An elf owl with outstretched wings seems about to take flight from its perch above the blossoms of a sagaro cactus.

Suddenly an elf owl flew out of the Señor's mouth, and he spoke to me: "Bullpoopy."

Señor Saguaro bends down to speak to him, and red-beaked vultures spill out of his elf owl hole.

In recent years, early-breeding, aggressive, non-native birds have taken over the nests to the detriment of elf owls who breed and nest later.

Elf Owls usually are not aggressive and feign death in any dangerous situation, especially when a threatening animal comes inside their Saguaro cactus.

The State Department of Fish and Game has been studying Elf Owl populations in the area.

The Elf Owl migrates to Arizona and New Mexico in the spring and summer.

Cavities excavated by these woodpeckers in saguaro cacti are later used by a variety of other species, including the Elf Owl.

The Elf Owl is smaller and the Northern Pygmy-Owl is approximately the same size.

However, at 53 grams (1.9 oz), it is slightly heavier than the Long-whiskered Owlet and the Elf Owl.

Many of the cactuses have holes chiseled in the trunks and arms, where elf owls, cactus wren and gila woodpeckers make their homes.

Micrathene whitneyi graysoni (extinct)

The Elf Owl's Socorro subspecies Micrathene whitneyi graysoni appears to be extinct.

Micrathene whitneyi graysoni - Socorro Elf Owl (probably extinct since c.1970)

The Elf Owl (Micrathene whitneyi) is a member of the owl family Strigidae, that breeds in the southwestern United States and Mexico.

Gylfie, Elf Owl, Micrathene whitneyi, from the Desert of Kuneer, snatched when she was three weeks old by St. Aegolius patrols.