Family: Strigidae, Owls view all from this family

Description 5 1/2" (14 cm). A tiny owl with a short tail, no ear tufts, yellow eyes; buff with indistinct dark streaks.

Habitat Deserts, dry open woodlands, and streamside thickets with trees.

Nesting 3 white eggs in a deserted woodpecker hole in a cactus or an oak, pine, or other tree.

Range Breeds in southeastern California, southern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Winters in Mexico.

Voice   Rapid series of high-pitched notes, higher in the middle.

Discussion When captured, this tiny owl feigns death until sure that all danger has passed. It feeds almost exclusively on insects, catching them in the air or on the ground, but also takes mice and lizards.