This tiny owl has a reputation as an aggressive predator on everything from mice and voles to birds and mammals over twice its size.

Coloration is highly variable with brown and gray morphs. In Oregon, color varies from dark brown in coastal mountains to gray in eastern Oregon, with an intermediate pale grayish-brown form in the Cascade mountains. About the length of a White-crowned sparrow, it has striking yellow eyes, dark vertical streaks on the breast and abdomen, and dark "eyespots" on the back of the head.

It is primarily diurnal and can often be approached quite closely when it is hunting or responding to an apparent territorial challenge.

The Northern pygmy owl is fairly common throughout forested areas of Oregon, including the Coast Range, Klamath Mountains, Cascade Mountains, and Blue Mountains.

Hear the call of the Northern pygmy owl

Photo from ODFW