Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Bird of the Week



Glaucidium brasilianum, or Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, is one of the only owls in Belize that is active during the day.  This little cutie, measuring only 7", was seen in an orange tree right outside of the staff cabins.  A group of staff and students were able to walk right up to the tree it was perched in and take pictures, giggle, pray, and just shake heads in dismay.  One interesting note about the Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl is the presence of "false eyes."  These dark spots on the back of their heads give the appearance of large, dark eyes to confuse would-be predators.

Kudos to Jessica who gave the correct answer to last week's quiz.  The two other toucans in Belize are the Collared Aracari and the Emerald Toucanet.  


This week's quiz: Belize is home to what other Pygmy-Owl?

1 comment:

lisa said...

What a cute little owl! Jesse's younger brother, Colin, keeps spotting a pair of Verreaux's Eagle Owls not far from our house. They can be up to 28 inches in length with a wing span of 6.5 feet! Crazy!