Illustration: Graphite, charcoal and ink on Fabriano paper, 11 x 13 cm.
Patricio Paretti. MIGRATORIAS
Common name: | Austral pygmy owl (or Lafkéja in Yagan language) |
Scientific name: | Glaucidium namum |
Kind: | Bird |
Order: | Strigiformes |
Size: | Length between 17 and 21cm. |
DESCRIPTION
The smallest of the specimens in the owl family, it has a wingspan of 25 to 40 centimeters and a weight that varies between 50 and 100 grams. It is thought to be the most abundant owl in Chile.
Its throat is white and has a superciliary line that runs down to the part between the eyes and the nostrils (lorum). Its bill is short and hooked, dark at the base and yellowish tip. The legs are yellow, as are its big eyes. Chest and abdomen are presented with thick longitudinal stripes: whitish, brown, and blackish. Sometimes on the nape it shows (hardly visible) a line similar to a necklace of black and white freckles, or only black. Tail has blackish and brown transverse bands.
ENVIRONMENT AND NOURISHMENT
In South America, it is found in the “Norte chico” of Chile and from central Argentina to the south. Scarce in the Atacama region, it can be seen from the Coquimbo Region to the Magallanes Region, reaching Cape Horn. In Tierra del Fuego, it lives mainly in Nothofagussp forests (Lenga, Coihue or Ñirre trees), scattered within areas of steppe, open forest and thorny scrub (calafate).
Although the Strigiformes are nocturnal birds of prey, the chuncho has relatively diurnal habits. Its small size, the silent flight and the immobility with which it manages to stay on the branch where it perches, make it go unnoticed. It is aggressive and fierce with its prey, and it can hunt animals even larger than itself. It kills quickly with its small but powerful claws. Its diet is made up of birds, insects, mammals, and reptiles.
PROCREATION
It nests between September and November in tree hollows, laying 3 to 5 white, opaque, and quite rounded eggs, which dimensions fluctuate between 30mm. x 25 mm. Individuals often defend their nesting sites, directing fast churning flights against intruders.
THREATS TO SURVIVAL
Although the illegal hunting of owls has not been directly quantified, its impact on the species may be underestimated. Rodenticide poison has been suggested to pose a threat to several species of Chilean owls.
CONSERVATION
According to the criteria of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the species is in category LC (Least Concern). In Chile it does not have a conservation category.
Illustration: Graphite, charcoal and ink on Fabriano paper, 11 x 13 cm.
Patricio Paretti. MIGRATORIAS