Designed by Paul Smith 2006. This website is copyrighted by law.
Material contained herewith may not be used without the prior written permission of FAUNA Paraguay.
Material on this page was provided by Paul Smith, Alberto Esquivel, Arne Lesterhuis, Matt Denton and Teatske Nieuborg and is used with their permission.
FERRUGINOUS PYGMY-OWL Glaucidium brasilianum
This pocket-sized owl is the owner of one of the most monotonous calls in the bird world, an endless TU-TU-TU.... that goes on and on until he finally gets tired and shuts up. Birders often imitate this call to attract passerines which come to mob what they assume is the owl, but this tactic should be used sparingly and never during the breeding season, it stresses the respondees unnecessarily! He is a widespread species and occurs in thee colour morphs - grey, brown and rufous. The Chaco subspecies tucumanum was treated as a separate species by Konig et al (1999).
Click on the images to enlarge them.
Gallery 1 - Ferruginous Pygmy Owl Glaucidium brasilianum brasilianum
FIGURE 1a - (FPAVE3117PH) Adult rufous phase, Mbaracayú Biosphere Reserve, Departamento Canindeyú (Paul Smith October 2008).
FIGURE 1b - (FPAVE3118PH) Adult brown phase, Mbaracayú Biosphere Reserve, Departamento Canindeyú (Teatske Nieuborg 2007).
FIGURE 1c - (FPAVE3119PH) Adult brown phase, Mbaracayú Biosphere Reserve, Departamento Canindeyú (Alberto Esquivel undated).
FIGURE 1d - (FPAVE3120PH) Adult rufous phase, location unknown (Arne Lesterhuis undated).
FIGURE 1e - (FPAVE3121PH) Same individual as (FPAVE3120PH) (Arne Lesterhuis undated).
FIGURE 1f - (FPAVE4024PH) Adult brown phase, PN Paso Bravo, Departamento Concepción (Paul Smith June 2013).
FIGURE 1g - (FPAVE4025PH) Same individual as (FPAVE4024PH) showing nuchal pattern (Paul Smith June 2013).
FIGURE 1a

FIGURE 1a
FIGURE 1b

FIGURE 1b
FIGURE 1c

FIGURE 1c
FIGURE 1d

FIGURE 1d
FIGURE 1e

FIGURE 1e
FIGURE 1f

FIGURE 1f
FIGURE 1g

FIGURE 1g
Glaucidium brasilianum
1 (FPAVE3126RE) ssp. brasilianum call  recorded PROCOSARA, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith March 2007).
2 (FPAVE3127RE) ssp. brasilianum call variation  recorded PROCOSARA, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith March 2007).
3 (FPAVE3128RE) ssp. tucumanum call  recorded Laguna Capitán, Departamento Presidente Hayes (Paul Smith October 2007).
Click the links to hear the calls. Longer versions of these calls can be downloaded from the Paraguay page of our partner website Xeno-Canto - the largest collection of freely downloadable Neotropical bird calls available online.
FIGURE 2a

FIGURE 2a
FIGURE 2b

FIGURE 2b
FIGURE 2c

FIGURE 2c
Gallery 2 - Chaco Pygmy Owl Glaucidium brasilianum tucumanum
FIGURE 2a - (FPAVE3122PH) Adult brown phase, Laguna Capitán, Departamento Presidente Hayes (Paul Smith October 2007).
FIGURE 2b - (FPAVE3123PH) Same individual as (FPAVE3122PH) (Paul Smith October 2007).
FIGURE 2c - (FPAVE3124PH) Adult rufous phase, PN Tte Enciso, Departamento Boquerón (Matt Denton October 2010).
VIDEO - (FPAVE3125VI) Same individual as (FPAVE3122PH) calling (Paul Smith October 2007).