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The Pacific pygmy owl or Peruvian pygmy owl (Glaucidium peruanum) is a dirunal species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found in Ecuador and Peru year round and its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland, and heavily degraded former forest.

Additionally, the Pacific Pygmy owl may overlap with the Andean Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium jardinii). The two can be distinguished from their call, and the Pacific Pygmy Owl is usually found alone or in pairs. The Peruvian pygmy owl is also very similar to the Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl (G. brasilianum) but their ranges do not overlap, however, they are also distinguished by their vocalizations.

Taxonomy
The Peruvian Pygmy Owl was first described by Claus König, a German ornithologist, in 1991.

Description
The Pacific Pygmy Owl is a small owl, ~17 inches, with multiple different colour morphs. These colour morphs being a reddish brown to dark bown, or gray colouration on its back, with reddish brown, dark brown, or gray vertical stripes on its chest. Moreover, all morphs have yellow eyes and they have no eye disks.

Furthermore, there are white spots on the back of the wings, and these spots are different for each morph. There is also a broken white collar around the neck and black spots on either side fo the midline, creating the appearance of dark eyespots, as well as a white-ish supercilium.

Additionally, the juveniles of this species look like te adults, and the colour morphs of the males and females look very similar.

The differences between the females and the males is that the females tend to be a little larger and heavier than the males, females having a wing length of approximately 103mm and mass of 64.5g, while males have a wing length of ~98mm and weight of ~60.5g.

Distribution and Habitat
The Pacific Pygmy Owl is distributed along Peru and Ecuador in South America and can be found along the entire Pacific slope of Peru. Its prefered habitat includes tropical or subtropical shrublands (both dry and wet) as well as degraded forests. They can also be found in forested areas, on road side wires, around hedges, in gardens, agricultural areas, and in town plazas.

Additionally, the Pacific Pygmy owl can be found in altitudes of 0 - 2400m.

Vocalizations


The above vocalization is issued under the Creative commons Liscence

The vocalization of the Peruvian Pygmy Owl is different than that of the Ferruginous Pygmy Owl because it is much faster and not replicatable when whislting, whereas the Ferruginous Pygmy Owl vocalization is. Additionally, when excited, the vocalization can end with a sound similar to a warbler vocalization.

Breeding
They prefer to nest in unused woodpecker holes, or empty cavities in trees.

Food and Feeding
The Pacific Pygmy Owl typically perch in the canopy or the middle of the forest and feed on insects and smaller birds.

Threats
According to the IUCN Red List, this species is listed as Least Concern and there are no reported threats.

Status
Currently, there is no recorded number of individuals regarding the Pacific Pygmy Owl population, and therefore, a proper estimate on whether or not their populaion is declining or increasing cannot be made. However, it is presumed that their populations are stable. Thus, listing them as least cooncern.