CreatureData

Elf owl

Micrathene whitneyi (J. G. Cooper, 1861)

LCLeast Concernowls

The elf owl (Micrathene whitneyi) is a species in the family Strigidae, order Strigiformes. Recorded adults weigh 41 g to 46 g and live up to 4.91 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Elf owl (Micrathene whitneyi)
Photo: BBODO · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the elf owl

Weight
41 g – 46 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
4.91 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Invertivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
14 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
shrublandsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
24 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
2.5src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
12 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
1src for Litters or clutches a year
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Migratorysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Photos of the elf owl

Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.

1 more photo exists under a licence we cannot display: view at source.

Where does the elf owl live?

Not recorded

What is the elf owl?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The elf owl (Micrathene whitneyi) is a small grayish-brown owl about the size of a sparrow found in the Southwestern United States, central Mexico, and the Baja California peninsula. It has pale yellow eyes highlighted by thin white "eyebrows" and a gray bill with a horn-colored tip. The elf owl frequently inhabits woodpecker holes in saguaro cacti; it also nests in natural tree cavities. It is nocturnal and feeds primarily on insects.

From the Wikipedia article “Elf owl” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Elf_owl&oldid=1380664163), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the elf owl endangered?

The elf owl is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the elf owl classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderStrigiformes
  5. familyStrigidae
  6. genusMicrathene
  7. SpeciesMicrathene whitneyi (J. G. Cooper, 1861)

Synonyms Athene whitneyi, Micropallas whitneyi

Other names and names in other languages (38)
  • بومة قزمةArabic
  • بومة العفريتArabic
  • mussolet dels saguarosCatalan
  • kulíšek trpasličíCzech
  • ellylldylluanWelsh
  • AlfeugleDanish
  • ElfenkauzGerman
  • kakta strigetoEsperanto
  • Tecolote enanoSpanish
  • Mochuelo de los saguarosSpanish
  • kaktusekakkEstonian
  • kaktuspöllöFinnish
  • Elfette des saguarosFrench
  • Chevêchette des saguarosFrench
  • ElfûleWestern Frisian
  • patuljasti ćukCroatian
  • tündérbaglyocskaHungarian
  • Civetta elfoItalian
  • サボテンフクロウJapanese
  • kaktusinė pelėdaLithuanian
  • elfu apogsLatvian
  • CactusuilDutch
  • KabouteruilDutch
  • alveugleNorwegian
  • kaktusówkaPolish
  • mocho-duendePortuguese
  • corujinha-dos-saguarosPortuguese
  • Сыч-эльфRussian
  • Кактусовый сычRussian
  • Сычик-эльфRussian
  • sovička kaktusováSlovak
  • Vilinska sovicaSerbian
  • kaktusugglaSwedish
  • Cin baykuşuTurkish
  • Kaktüs BaykuşuTurkish
  • сичик-ельф мексиканськийUkrainian
  • 姬鴞Chinese
  • 娇鸺鹠Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the elf owl

Other species in the same family Strigidae.

VU, Vulnerable
Snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus)

Snowy owl

Bubo scandiacus

Strigidae

LC, Least Concern
Tawny owl (Strix aluco)

Tawny owl

Strix aluco

Strigidae

CompareElf owl vs Eurasian eagle-owlElf owl vs Little owlElf owl vs Snowy owlElf owl vs Long-eared owl

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the elf owl?

An adult elf owl weighs 41 g – 46 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the elf owl endangered?

The elf owl is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the elf owl live?

The elf owl has a recorded lifespan of 4.91 years.

What kind of animal is the elf owl?

The elf owl (Micrathene whitneyi) belongs to the family Strigidae in the order Strigiformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Elf owl (Micrathene whitneyi). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/elf-owl

MLA

“Elf owl (Micrathene whitneyi).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/elf-owl.

BibTeX
@misc{elf_owl_2026,
  title = {Elf owl (Micrathene whitneyi)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/elf-owl},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}