Scientific Name: Micrathene whitneyi

Residency: Summers spent in southern half of Arizona.

Diet: Eats insects, scorpions, spiders, centipedes, mice, and shrews.

Predators: Great Horned Owl. Nests are preyed upon by gopher snake.

Nesting: Nests in old woodpecker holes in saguaro cactus or hardwood trees.  No material is added.  Eggs: 2-5 per clutch, white, 1 brood per year.

Nesting Records:

Notes: The smallest owl in the United States; it is half the size of the Burrowing Owl. Uses separate cavity for roosting and breeding. Roosts during the day in a tree cavity or in dense thickets where it blends into its surroundings.

Photo: To be added.

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