The smallest (and cutest) owl in the world.

Page 1, * * 2: Page 1 Page 2 The ecological and geological diversity of the elf owl (NPS) may be the biggest surprise for those who visit one of the five deserts in North America for the first time. Away from miles of barren sand dunes, the deserts of North America are full of unique animal and plant species, which can not only survive, but also thrive in the harsh temperature and low rainfall in the arid areas of the whole continent. In his book Desert Solitaire, published in 1968, the writer/activist Edward Abbey described the desert where he lived: "This is the most beautiful place on earth."

Cutie patootie (University of Arizona) found a unique and lovely creature in this "most beautiful place on earth" as usual. It not only adapts to its own lifestyle, but also adapts to its own body shape, and can survive successfully in the desert environment. Mickey Whitney, the elf owl of short Whitney, is a common resident in the coastal areas of Sonoran Desert and Chihuahua Desert. It is the smallest owl found in the world and is called the lightest owl in the world, weighing only 1.4 ounces (40 grams). Adult male elf owls will be 4.9 to 5.7 inches (12.5 to 14.5 cm) in length and have a wingspan of 10.5 inch (27 cm). The elf owl in the photo fell from its nest on its first flight attempt, and it is being helped by the national park administrator. As shown in the figure

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(ASU.edu) The family scope of Whitney Elf Owl changes every year. In spring and summer, they appear in the arid deserts of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where they breed and raise their offspring. They are distributed in cactus forests, woody canyons, plateaus or riverside areas with dense vegetation. In winter, they migrate south and spend cold months in the warm coastal areas of central Mexico. Four subspecies of owls have been discovered: Micrathene whitneyi idonea is only found in the southern tip of Texas and northern Mexico; Micrathene whitneyi sanfordi is a resident of the southern tip of Bajasol, California; Miclattney Whitney Graysoni lives on Socorro Island in Nankai Province.

Irregular orange spots (NPS) with unique colors cover the back and wings of rusty brown feathers, which makes owls an ideal camouflage brown for spending their lives in desert landscapes. Slight white spots are more common on the top of the head. A row of white feathers highlights the edge of each wing. The chest and abdomen are a mixture of white, brown and orange striped feathers. Some first-class and second-class flight feathers are also white.

What always surprises (NPS) is that the eyebrows of Whitney Elf Owl stand out with their unique white feathers. The mask of the owl is mainly orange. This bill is gray and plays a role in tipping. The iris of each big eye is mainly yellow. Unlike most owls, Whitney Elf owls have no "ear clusters" or any prominent feathers on their small round heads. Like other owls, elf owls have a series of unique soft feathers on the edge of their wings, which allow them to fly quietly.

Unique nesting choices (Linda and Dr Dick Bscher) One of the more unique behaviors of these owls is related to nesting. Because of their small size, predators will be extremely dangerous to the females and young birds in the nest. Whitney Elf Owls solved this problem by learning to nest in abandoned woodpecker holes. In the Sonoran Desert, golden woodpeckers, black-tailed snakes and glittering cacti are responsible for carving nests in the soft cactus pulp. As shown in the picture, when observing this Ji 'an dog, you can see the sentry leading to the nest in the empty desert-it is showing its white flowers and red fruits. In areas where cacti don't grow, elf owls will nest in abandoned pecking holes in local trees and even telephone poles.

Useful works (Linda &; The nest hole created by these two desert woodpeckers is called "cactus boots". As shown in the picture, these boots are formed in the fleshy skin of cactus, which secretes a resin liquid to treat the "wound" caused by digging woodpeckers. When exposed to the air, this resin will harden into hard calluses, preventing water from further losing from birds in the western valley, first woodpeckers, and then other birds living in the desert, such as elf owls.

Desert bees usually make hives in the boots of Xigu birds, creating a sweet hole. When the cactus dies, the fleshy skin will degenerate, but the hard cactus boots still exist and are not easy to decompose. The aborigines in Sonoran Desert used to use these "boots" as containers, and sometimes even as natural water kettles. In these safe nesting boots, a female elf owl will lay 2 to 4 white eggs.

The Open Charm (NPS) The breeding season of elf owls in Sonoran Desert in southwest China occurs in May and June. Males will sing loudly all night, which can impress females and defend their territory. Male birds usually sing in their claimed sago chrysanthemum nest, trying to lure female birds into the cave. During courtship, a man will take the initiative to feed his future partner. Once mating occurs, the eggs are placed on the rough callus of passion fruit boots, and the females will hatch the eggs. Eggs begin to hatch 2 1-24 days after spawning. In the first two weeks, the female bird does not leave the incubator, and the female bird brings food into the nest hole for the mother bird and the young bird to eat.

Two weeks later, both parents will leave the nest to hunt and provide food for the chicks. Young owls begin to leave their nests about 28 days after hatching, but stay under the supervision of their parents for an extra week 10 days.

In hunting (NPS), insects, spiders, scorpions and other arthropods are the main food of Whitney Elf Owl. Mom and dad will pull out the stinger of the captured scorpion before feeding it to the cubs. Large desert beetles that are nocturnal are a common food source. They mainly hunt at dusk and dawn. They have good hearing, and usually locate and catch their prey by sound rather than vision.

The food-following elf owl (NPS) is one of the two real migratory owls found in North America-the second is the small and medium-sized flammable owl in the western pine forest, and here we see the Nautilus flame. These two kinds of small night owls rely on flying insects as their main food source, so when they arrive at the breeding ground in winter, they will follow the insects into Mexico with warm climate. Whitney Elf Owl usually leaves its summer home in Sonoran Desert in late September and spends the winter in the forest full of insects in central and southern Mexico. KDSPE's cunning animal Kdspe (photo credit: NPS) "KDSPS is so small that the elf owl faces the danger of many common predators from Sonora Desert, such as snakes, hyenas, bobcats and ring-tailed cats, and Basri Goo Goo. Big owls, eagles and birds will also attack and catch these little owls. When owls stay safely at home, few predators (if any) can catch them; But when they leave this boot, danger is everywhere. Elf owls are naturally hard to fight, so they would rather run than fight. But this group of elf owls is considered as cooperative mob invaders and predators. Elf owls are recorded as "playing opossums". When they are outside the safe main room, danger appears and remains motionless, as if they are dead, until the danger passes. "

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