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NORTHERN PYGMY OWLS

Banded Northern Pygmy Owl Adoption

Adopt a Northern Pygmy Owl - PDF

A fascinating little owl, Northern Pygmy Owls are unlike other species in many ways. Despite their well known hunting skills and charming good looks, this species needs our help. As one of the more under-researched owl species in North America, data is needed to better understand species' vulnerabilities, strengths, and population trends. Understanding is the first step in helping. Please join us as we work to uncover new insights about this charismatic and feisty little bird.

ABOUT YOUR NORTHERN PYGMY OWL ADOPTION

When you adopt a Northern Pygmy Owl, you ensure that our research on these owls continues. At the Owl Research Institute, we know that conservation efforts begin with reliable data. We provide this data and work hard to ensure that it gets to the right decision makers.

Our Northern Pygmy Owl study is conducted out of many different study sites in western Montana. Travel to and from our sites, equipment, manpower, and data management are all costs associated with the Northern Pygmy Owl study.

Your adoption helps cover these necessary costs and ensure that our study continues - working to protect this incredible species.

HOW NORTHERN PYGMY OWL ADOPTION WORKS

As a non-profit, we designed our adoption program to help fund research and conservation around specific species.

All of our research is conducted on wild owls in their natural habitat. We keep no owls at the Owl Research Institute and are not a rehabilitation center. We are a field-based research institute with an emphasis on conservation and education.

We are enormously grateful to those who make the decision to support our work. The adoption program is a new and unique way to donate to the Owl Research Institute and ensure that research on Northern Pygmy Owls continues.

ORI'S NORTHERN PYGMY OWL RESEARCH

Although our breeding season study of Northern Pygmy Owls began in 1981, it was not officially organized until 1985. Since then we have focused our research efforts on finding and monitoring natural nest-sites in western Montana, which can be a difficult task. To date we have documented 35 natural nest-sites and are in the process of analyzing and writing up our research results, which we believe will have important implications for forest management snag retention policies.

Northern Pygmy Owls are associated with a wide variety of coniferous and deciduous forest habitats in western North America. They can occur from near tree line to river bottoms. It was once believed that all owl species hatch their eggs asynchronously (in the order laid). However, some studies suggested Pygmy Owls may hatch eggs synchronously, or nearly so. We have documented novel observations of egg laying and incubation, nestling growth and development, and fledging which provide important information about their life histories.

The Northern Pygmy Owl is listed as Sensitive by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Wildlife Management Program (D Becker, pers. comm.).