Northern Pygmy-Owl

Northern Pygmy-Owl

Northern Pygmy-Owl

© Charles Gates

Construction Difficulty

moderate difficulty moderate

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Nesting Range

Northern Pygmy-Owl Range
Source: Birds of the World

Nesting Habitat

  • icon Forest
  • icon Open Woodland

Attach Nest Box To

  • Dead Tree icon Dead Tree
  • Live tree icon Live tree
  • Post icon Post

Known Nesting Period

Not Nesting
Some Nesting Occurrence
Nesting in Most of Range
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
Source: Birds of the World

Nest Box Placement

Height Range From Ground

8ft
20ft
8–20 feet

Spacing Between Nest Boxes

1 mile

Facing

Entrance hole facing visualization
Any

Nest Box Measurements

Entrance Hole Size

Entrance hole size visualization 2

Nest Box Depth (inside)

Nest box depth visualization 13

Nest Box Width and Length

Nest box width and length visualization 7 1/4'' 7 1/4''

Helpful Tips

  • Nest boxes for this species are considered experimental. There are no reports of Northern Pygmy-Owls using nest boxes, but the closely-related Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl and Eurasian Pygmy-Owl have been reported to use nest boxes.
  • Add a thin layer of wood shavings to the box (will also nest on material from previous occupants).