pygmy owl

noun

1. any of several small, diurnal owls of the genus Glaucidium, that feed chiefly on insects.

Word History and Origins

Origin of pygmy owl¹

An Americanism dating back to 1855–60

Example Sentences

That last choice of prey can get the cactus ferruginous pygmy owl into trouble; when other bird species recognize its distinctive whistled call, they sometimes mob to harass it.

From Salon

Despite that, her obsession with the mysteriously alluring birds soon becomes borderless; she ventures to Finland and Spain on promised sighting of the Eurasian eagle owl, to Serbia to view the long-eared owl, and to France for the pygmy owl.

From Washington Post

He has studied the border fence’s consequences for the cactus ferruginous pygmy owl, a palm-sized bird under consideration for Endangered Species Act protection.

From Scientific American

Bring back the fern, the fish, the frond and the fowl, the golden toad and the pygmy owl, revisit the scene where swallowtails fly through acres of unexhausted sky.

From Scientific American

Fish and Wildlife Service to decide if the cactus ferruginous pygmy owl should be protected again as an endangered species.

From Seattle Times