Wee Willie Wink-Owl, the Elf Owl
photo credit: hstiver
Owl Talk
February 24, 2025
EMCEE: Welcome to Owl Talk, with Laurel Ann Hardy.
HOST: Today on Owl Talk, we have a special guest from the Sonoran Desert. Would you welcome please, Wee Willie Wink-Owl.
ELF OWL: Oh, thank you so much. I'm happy to be here.
HOST: You are an Elf Owl, if I am not mistaken.
ELF OWL: You are not mistaken. I am Micrathene whitneyi, the Elf Owl.
HOST: Isn't it true that you are the smallest owl in the world?
ELF OWL: Correct again. In fact, I am the world's smallest raptor. I even won a Golden Owl Pellet for that achievement at this year's North American Owl Awards.
HOST: Yes, we were all very proud of you.
ELF OWL: It's always nice to be recognized.
HOST: I also understand that you have a new home.
ELF OWL: Yes, I do. I have just moved into a telephone pole in the Madera Canyon in Southeast Arizona.
HOST: Congratulations.
ELF OWL: Well, that's actually my summer home, of course. We Elf Owls spend the winter in Mexico, that's basically from October through March.
HOST: Oh, yes, I hear your species is highly migratory.
ELF OWL: That is true, at least for us Elf Owls who live in the States. Some Elf Owls live in Mexico year-round, like my cousins in Baja California.
HOST: Interesting. And why exactly do you move south in the winter?
ELF OWL: Well, we are basically following the insects, which are more numerous in Mexico during the winter.
HOST: What kind of insects?
ELF OWL: All kinds. Moths, beetles, grasshoppers. You name it.
HOST: And I am told you even eat scorpions?
ELF OWL: Yes, and kangaroo rats and spiny lizards and blind snakes.
HOST: Also, I hear you guys have a call that sounds something like a yipping puppy? Is that true?
ELF OWL: That's what they tell me.
HOST: Could you give us a demonstration of that call?
ELF OWL: Gladly.
HOST: Great! Ready whenever you are.
ELF OWL: Okay, here goes nothing. [Elf Owl yips]
HOST: Fantastic. Of course we cannot end this interview without mentioning the Guardians of Ga'Hoole.
ELF OWL: Oh, yes.
HOST: Your mate had a starring role in the book and film.
ELF OWL: That's right, I was so proud of her.
HOST: She starred as Gylfie.
ELF OWL: That's right.
HOST: In the story, she was raised in the Desert of Kuneer and kidnapped, if I remember correctly.
ELF OWL: Yes, she was kidnapped by a Saint Aggie's patrol after falling out of her nest while she was trying to fly for the first time.
HOST: Oh, that was so exciting. And her acting was so believable, too.
ELF OWL: Well, all Elf Owl's are good actors. We have to be because we're so small. When a big predator comes along, we have to know how to play dead. And if we do not play that role to perfection, well...
HOST: Who are your predators, by the way?
ELF OWL: You know, the usual suspects: coyote, bobcat, ringtail cats, large snakes, and even larger owls, like the Great Horned Owl.
HOST: We're almost out of time. Where can our viewers go to see you in the United States?
ELF OWL: Well, you can find us in a variety of birding spots in southern Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. In Arizona, in particular, you might want to check out Ramsey, Ash and Carr Canyons. I can also recommend Saguaro National Park. And, of course, there's my own stomping ground, Madera Canyon. I am afraid that I can't give your viewers the GPS of our telephone pole because my mate has been on the run from the paparazzi ever since she appeared as Gylfie in the Guardians of Ga'Hoole movie.
HOST: Understandable. Thanks for coming. Any last words for our viewers before we go?
ELF OWL: Yes. I would like to encourage folks who live in my territory to put out some nest boxes for my species. There are not always enough woodpecker holes to go around and so we would appreciate some additional nesting options in our stateside territory.
HOST: You heard him, folks. Now, how about you leave us with another trademark yipping?
ELF OWL: I would be delighted. And a 1, and a 2, and a 1-2-3-4... [Elf Owl yips]
EMCEE: This has been Owl Talk, with Laurel Ann Hardy.
February 24, 2025
EMCEE: Welcome to Owl Talk, with Laurel Ann Hardy.
HOST: Today on Owl Talk, we have a special guest from the Sonoran Desert. Would you welcome please, Wee Willie Wink-Owl.
ELF OWL: Oh, thank you so much. I'm happy to be here.
HOST: You are an Elf Owl, if I am not mistaken.
ELF OWL: You are not mistaken. I am Micrathene whitneyi, the Elf Owl.
HOST: Isn't it true that you are the smallest owl in the world?
ELF OWL: Correct again. In fact, I am the world's smallest raptor. I even won a Golden Owl Pellet for that achievement at this year's North American Owl Awards.
HOST: Yes, we were all very proud of you.
ELF OWL: It's always nice to be recognized.
HOST: I also understand that you have a new home.
ELF OWL: Yes, I do. I have just moved into a telephone pole in the Madera Canyon in Southeast Arizona.
HOST: Congratulations.
ELF OWL: Well, that's actually my summer home, of course. We Elf Owls spend the winter in Mexico, that's basically from October through March.
HOST: Oh, yes, I hear your species is highly migratory.
ELF OWL: That is true, at least for us Elf Owls who live in the States. Some Elf Owls live in Mexico year-round, like my cousins in Baja California.
HOST: Interesting. And why exactly do you move south in the winter?
ELF OWL: Well, we are basically following the insects, which are more numerous in Mexico during the winter.
HOST: What kind of insects?
ELF OWL: All kinds. Moths, beetles, grasshoppers. You name it.
HOST: And I am told you even eat scorpions?
ELF OWL: Yes, and kangaroo rats and spiny lizards and blind snakes.
HOST: Also, I hear you guys have a call that sounds something like a yipping puppy? Is that true?
ELF OWL: That's what they tell me.
HOST: Could you give us a demonstration of that call?
ELF OWL: Gladly.
HOST: Great! Ready whenever you are.
ELF OWL: Okay, here goes nothing. [Elf Owl yips]
HOST: Fantastic. Of course we cannot end this interview without mentioning the Guardians of Ga'Hoole.
ELF OWL: Oh, yes.
HOST: Your mate had a starring role in the book and film.
ELF OWL: That's right, I was so proud of her.
HOST: She starred as Gylfie.
ELF OWL: That's right.
HOST: In the story, she was raised in the Desert of Kuneer and kidnapped, if I remember correctly.
ELF OWL: Yes, she was kidnapped by a Saint Aggie's patrol after falling out of her nest while she was trying to fly for the first time.
HOST: Oh, that was so exciting. And her acting was so believable, too.
ELF OWL: Well, all Elf Owl's are good actors. We have to be because we're so small. When a big predator comes along, we have to know how to play dead. And if we do not play that role to perfection, well...
HOST: Who are your predators, by the way?
ELF OWL: You know, the usual suspects: coyote, bobcat, ringtail cats, large snakes, and even larger owls, like the Great Horned Owl.
HOST: We're almost out of time. Where can our viewers go to see you in the United States?
ELF OWL: Well, you can find us in a variety of birding spots in southern Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. In Arizona, in particular, you might want to check out Ramsey, Ash and Carr Canyons. I can also recommend Saguaro National Park. And, of course, there's my own stomping ground, Madera Canyon. I am afraid that I can't give your viewers the GPS of our telephone pole because my mate has been on the run from the paparazzi ever since she appeared as Gylfie in the Guardians of Ga'Hoole movie.
HOST: Understandable. Thanks for coming. Any last words for our viewers before we go?
ELF OWL: Yes. I would like to encourage folks who live in my territory to put out some nest boxes for my species. There are not always enough woodpecker holes to go around and so we would appreciate some additional nesting options in our stateside territory.
HOST: You heard him, folks. Now, how about you leave us with another trademark yipping?
ELF OWL: I would be delighted. And a 1, and a 2, and a 1-2-3-4... [Elf Owl yips]
EMCEE: This has been Owl Talk, with Laurel Ann Hardy.
Big News for a Small Species
January 19, 2025
Wee Willie Wink Owl back at ya with some big news about my tiny species, the Elf Owl, Micrathene whitneyi. You know I do not like to brag, guys, that is just not my style. But... Well, you know how they recently held the North American Owl Awards ceremony at Tufts University? Well, the fact is that I... Oh, let me just come out and say it: I won the Golden Owl Pellet Award for Tiniest Owl Speices in North America!
Me! The Elf Owl! I mean, I knew I was little and all: a mere 5.5 inches the last time I got out the old measuring tape. But it never occurred to me that I was tiny in a record-breaking sort of way!
Anyway, thank you to my fans out there. A tiny owl like myself could not have risen to such heights without you guys! "Remember where you come from," that's my motto. Speaking of which, I'd better get back to my nest cavity in the saguaro cactus and check on my fledglings! Thanks again for everything, folks!
Listen to the North American Owl Awards ceremony, live from Zimman Field at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts!
Carpe Scorpio: Seize the Scorpion
December 7, 2024
Hey there, folks. Wee Willie Wink-Owl here, coming to you live from the Sonoran Desert in southern Arizona. I've been asked to make a few introductory remarks about my species, the Elf Owl, Micrathene whitneyi, so if you will bear with me for a moment. This microphone is a little high for me, guys. You don't seem to realize that I am only 5 inches in height1.
Oh, here comes a stagehand now. He'll correct the issue. Thank you very much, young man. Do me a favor and remind your bosses that I am the smallest owl in the world2. Okay? It is my claim to fame, after all. Thank you very much. Humph. I guess your previous speaker was a Great Horned Owl or something.
Now then, let us see...
I guess it all began three years ago, when I first saw the light of day through a hole in a saguaro cactus, a cavity which (as I was later to learn) had been generously carved out for our family by a Gila Woodpecker. Gila Woodpeckers and Northern Flickers carve out the perfect Elf Owl nests, in cacti, at any rate. If you want a tree trunk cavity, the Acorn Woodpecker is your man, or your bird, or whatever.
I can still remember my first kill while still in the cactus with my three fellow nurslings. This rhinoceros beetle foolishly lumbered by our nest cavity and I picked him off with my beak. No muss, no fuss. I was so proud.
Fast-forward a few weeks, and I caught my first cricket as a fledgling. Yes! I used the tried-and-true Elf Owl technique of hovering over the insect until it leapt into the air3, at which point its fate was sealed -- inside my greenish-yellow beak4, that is. Before I knew it, I was taking moths and katydids and even spiders: in short, arthropods of every kind. Sometimes I didn't even bother to fly: I just hopped right up to my prey and... "snap" goes the beak!
Four months after leaving the nest, my life changed dramatically. I molted5. I lost all that juvenile fuzz, and I finally sported the time-honored livery of the adult Elf Owl: white-spotted brown upper parts, with a gray breast and a white belly6.
Rats! The webmaster is already telling me to wind things up. No fair! I haven't even told them about my first scorpion kill. Yes, we eat scorpions. Awesome, huh? Naturally, we remove the stinger before laying to7.
Okay, I'm going. Just let me tell them where I live.
You can find me as a year-round resident in the southwestern deserts of the United States, principally of the Sonoran Desert in southern California and Arizona, where we live and raise our young8. Just listen for my call, which I'm told resembles that of a barking puppy9. (You be the judge on that: barking puppies are at a premium in the desert biome.)
Of course, if you want to see me personally, you'll have to hurry on account of we Elf Owls have a short lifespan. Just how short is hard to say, given the wide range of estimates that one finds online, but the general consensus seems to be that we'll kick the bucket by age 6, and since I'm currently 3 years old...
Well, you do the math.
All right, I'm going, I'm going!
1: Elf Owl Fact Sheet, Desert Museum
2: Elf Owl Fact Sheet, Desert Museum
3: Elf Owl ~ Micrathene whitneyi Introduction, The Owl Pages
4: Elf Owl, Owl Research Institute
5: Micrathene whitneyi elf owl, Animal Diversity Web
6: Elf Owl Identification Tips, USGS: Science for a changing world
7: The World's Smallest Owl May Be Adorable, But Don't Underestimate It, IFLScience
8: Elf Owl, Owl Research Institute
9: Elf Owl Sounds, Cornell Lab eBird
copyright 2024 by Brian Quass.
contact: quass@quass.com.