Yungas Pygmy Owl - BirdForum Opus

Photo © by Stanley Jones
Ollantaytambo, Cusco Department, Peru, September 2018

Glaucidium bolivianum

Identification

16 cm.
Brown morph is more common, but grey and red morphs also exist. There is an ochre ring around the neck with prominent false eyes above on the rear. Crown and back with pale marking, underside pale with dark mottling on sides of upper breast connected with a dusky band quite high up.
Eyes golden yellow, other bare parts greenish yellow with dark claws.

Distribution

Eastern slope of Andes in Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina. Also found on some mountains some distance away from the chain.

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species¹. It has previously been considered a part of Andean Pygmy Owl.

Habitat

Moist (sometimes only seasonally) montane forests from 1000-3000 m asl.

Behaviour

Activity stretch from dusk to dawn, but it is rarely active during the day. Song activity is often good on moonlit nights.

Breeding season begins with singing males in August-September in Argentina.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2014. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.9., with updates to August 2014. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. König, C. and F. Weick 2008. Owls of the World, second edition. Christopher Helm, London. ISBN 978-0-7136-6548-2

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Yungas Pygmy Owl. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 11 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Yungas_Pygmy_Owl

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