Credit: Bill Bouton
North American field guide
Elf Owl
Micrathene whitneyi
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Identification
Field notes
15 cm (6") Uncommon. Southwestern United States. Saguaro deserts, canyons.
Tiny, earless owl. Yellow eyes. Short tail.
Nocturnal.
Song: irregular chirps, whistled "tu-tu-tu".
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Videos
Elf Owl
Credit: Geoff BlamireElf Owl Close Up
Credit: Laura McGBird Advisor Identification rules 1 variant · 1 rule
These are the observation paths the Bird Advisor can use to identify this species. Each rule is an alternative match.
Elf Owl
1 ruleRule 1 8 criteria · confidence 2
- Did the owl have EAR TUFTS ?
- No · Unknown
- What SIZE was the TAIL ?
- Very short · Short · Medium · Unknown
- What SHAPE was the BILL ?
- Hooked · Unknown
- What LENGTH was the BILL ?
- Very short · Short · Unknown
- What colour were the EYES ?
- White or light gray · Yellow or olive · Unknown
- How BIG was the bird ?
- Smaller than a sparrow · Sparrow-sized · Robin-sized
- What TYPE of bird was seen ?
- Owl
- WHERE was the bird seen ?
- Southwestern United States