Glaucidium Passerinum

Glaucidium Passerinum 

a pygmy owl of the order Strigiformes; the smallest owl among the fauna of the USSR. Its body measures about 17 cm in length, and it weighs between 56 and 78 g. The back is grayish-brown with light specks and the chest is white with dark spots. The Glaucidium passerinum is found in northern and central Europe and northern Asia; in the European part of the USSR it is found in coniferous and mixed forests as far south as Riazan’ Oblast, and in Siberia, to the southern borders. In the winter it migrates somewhat to the south. It nests in tree hollows, laying 4-6 eggs. The G. passerinum feeds on mouse-like rodents and small birds, storing food in tree hollows. It is rare everywhere and is protected by law.

REFERENCE

Ptitsy Sovetskogo Soiuza, vol. 1. Edited by G. P. Dement’ev and N. A. Gladkov. Moscow, 1951.