Andean Pygmy-Owl

Andean Pygmy-Owl

Glaucidium jardinii

Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Quito

In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%

15 Verified sightings at Quito
233 In all 4 parks From 2019 to 2026
November Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Andean Pygmy-Owl

The Andean pygmy owl (Glaucidium jardinii) is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. The Andean pygmy owl is monotypic. The Andean pygmy owl is 15 to 16 cm (5.9 to 6.3 in) long. Males weigh 54.9 to 77.4 g (1.9 to 2.7 oz) and females 54.6 to 75 g (1.9 to 2.6 oz). It has two distinct color morphs; in one the head, most of the body, wings, and tail are dull dark brown with white markings and in the other the same areas are dark chestnut with buff markings. In both the crown has small white dots. They have white "brows" over yellow eyes, white "moustaches", and a broad white throat. Their nape has a black and white face-like pattern. Their backs have spots and the tail bars, white or buff respectively. The sides of the breast are dark brown or chestnut with pale markings; the white breast and belly have heavy dark brown or chestnut streaks.

The Andean pygmy owl is found in far western Venezuela and the central and western Andes of Colombia south through Ecuador to central Peru. It inhabits a variety of mountain landscapes including cloudforest, elfin... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:37

Ecuador · 2017

© Manuel Sánchez-Nivicela · XC1163101 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Song0:49

Colombia · 2023

© David Monroy Rengifo · XC818068 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Uncertain1:26

Colombia · 2021

© Andrés Mauricio López · XC635371 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Chingaza National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
2 Podocarpus National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
3 Los Nevados National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
4 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Quito 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an Andean Pygmy-Owl in Quito?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Andean Pygmy-Owl sighting in Quito on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 127th most-seen of the 167 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see an Andean Pygmy-Owl in Quito?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Andean Pygmy-Owl in Quito on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see an Andean Pygmy-Owl?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Andean Pygmy-Owl sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Where else can you see an Andean Pygmy-Owl?

Only Quito, in our data

Quito is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Andean Pygmy-Owl sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.

Where does the Andean Pygmy-Owl sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Andean Pygmy-Owl is recorded against all the birds logged in Quito (15 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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