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Cavity Nester
Northern Pygmy-Owl
Glaucidium gnoma
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Glaucidium gnoma
Tiny mountain owl no bigger than a sparrow, but a surprisingly aggressive daytime predator. The two black 'false-eye' spots on the back of its head fool prey into thinking it's still watching.
Widespread and abundant; no known immediate threats to the population.
Smaller than many of its prey, songbirds the size of robins are regularly killed by this 2.5-oz owl.
Bears two black 'false-eye' spots on the back of its head that fool prey and mobbing songbirds into thinking it's facing them.
Active during daylight, a rarity among owls, and the reason songbirds mob them so aggressively.
Their monotonous single-note whistles, repeated every few seconds for minutes on end, are a defining sound of western mountain forests.
Resident in mountain forests from southeastern Alaska south through the western US to central Mexico.
Common in mature conifer forests of coastal BC, Washington, Oregon, and California's Sierra Nevada.
Year-round through the Rockies and southwestern sky-island ranges into the highlands of Mexico.
This species needs a box larger or differently-shaped than our three standard sizes. We make these as one-off prints to the published nest dimensions, with all the species-specific requirements baked in.
Diurnal predator, takes songbirds up to its own size.