/ Modified jun 10, 2019 10:36 a.m.

4 rare pygmy owls successfully hatch at Phoenix Zoo

The cactus ferruginous pygmy owl's range has been declining since the '70s.

Pygmy owl 1 One of four cactus ferruginous pygmy owls to be born at the Phoenix Zoo, 2019.
Phoenix Zoo.

For the first time, four rare pygmy owls have been successfully hatched at the Phoenix Zoo's Arizona Center for Nature Conservation.

Tara Harris, director of conservation and science at the center, said the owls would join the three current breeding pairs in the program once they are fully fledged.

"Right now our focus is really on learning as much as we can from these birds in our care, and then also helping our agency partners with surveys of wild pygmy owls in Arizona," she said.

pygmy owl 2 VIEW LARGER One of four cactus ferruginous pygmy owls to be born at the Phoenix Zoo, 2019.
Phoenix Zoo

As its name implies, the cactus ferruginous pygmy owl (Glaucidium brasilianum cactorum) is small — under 7 inches and 3 ounces — and reddish-brown-to-gray in color.

The nonmigratory bird lives in river-bottom woodlands and scrublands areas of the Sonoran Desert populated by palo verde and cacti.

Although the Endangered Species Act no longer lists the species as endangered, it remains a Species of Greatest Conservation Need, according to Arizona's State Wildlife Action Plan.

The cactus ferruginous pygmy owl's range has been declining since the 1970s due to habitat loss and degradation from livestock grazing.

Experts estimate fewer than 100 remain in Arizona.

Video of the of cactus ferruginous pygmy owls at the Phoenix Zoo.
VIDEO: Phoenix Zoo
Arizona Science Desk
This story is from the Arizona Science Desk, a collaborative of the state's public radio stations, including NPR 89.1. Read more from the Arizona Science Desk.
By posting comments, you agree to our
AZPM encourages comments, but comments that contain profanity, unrelated information, threats, libel, defamatory statements, obscenities, pornography or that violate the law are not allowed. Comments that promote commercial products or services are not allowed. Comments in violation of this policy will be removed. Continued posting of comments that violate this policy will result in the commenter being banned from the site.

By submitting your comments, you hereby give AZPM the right to post your comments and potentially use them in any other form of media operated by this institution.
AZPM is a service of the University of Arizona and our broadcast stations are licensed to the Arizona Board of Regents who hold the trademarks for Arizona Public Media and AZPM. We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples.
The University of Arizona