The Cactus Ferruginous Pygmy Owl – Endangered

Photo by Aaron Fleish | National Geographic

Here’s an interesting article from National Geographic on a wonderful little owl.
[Chuck Almdale]

Can this tiny owl survive in one of America’s fastest growing states?
Conservationists want the Cactus Ferruginous Pygmy Owl back on the endangered species list, but opponents say it’s unnecessary.
By Shaena Montanari | June 26, 2020.  6 minute read.

In a desert valley outside Tucson lives a fierce predator that weighs less than a deck of cards. The cactus ferruginous pygmy owl, which nests in the Sonoran Desert’s iconic saguaro cactus, routinely takes down prey twice its size. “It’s the most ferocious raptor I’ve ever worked with,” says biologist Michael Ingraldi with the Arizona Game and Fish Department.