Listen to the Elf owl
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the Elf owl
The Elf owl is a bird in the family Strigidae (order Strigiformes). Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “least concern”.
What does the Elf owl sound like?
Most birds have two kinds of vocalisation: songs, which are learned or innate phrases delivered mainly in spring and summer, and calls – brief contact, alarm and begging notes heard all year round. Listening for both helps with identification.
The recordings here are labelled as begging call and call. Listen for differences in rhythm, pitch and repetition – the spectrum display makes it easy to see whether a sound is a pure whistle (a thin line), a harsh call (a broad band) or a trill (rapid repeated marks).
From Wikipedia
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.
More from the family Strigidae
Eurasian eagle-owl
Bubo bubo
Little owl
Athene noctua
Long-eared owl
Asio otus
Tawny owl
Strix aluco
Eurasian scops owl
Otus scops
Boreal owl
Aegolius funereus
Ural owl
Strix uralensis
Great horned owl
Bubo virginianus
Spotted owlet
Athene brama
Barred owl
Strix varia
Brown boobook
Ninox scutulata
Oriental scops owl
Otus sunia
Frequently asked questions
What does an Elf owl sound like?
You can hear 3 recordings of the Elf owl on this page, including its begging call and call. Most birds have two kinds of vocalisation: songs, which are learned or innate phrases delivered mainly in spring and summer, and calls – brief contact, alarm and begging notes heard all year round.
Is the Elf owl endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Elf owl as “least concern”.
What family does the Elf owl belong to?
The Elf owl (Micrathene whitneyi) belongs to the family Strigidae in the order Strigiformes.
Sources & credits
- Begging call, call · Battiste Bed, Breakfast and Birds, United States by Diana Doyle – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Begging call, call · Battiste Bed, Breakfast and Birds, United States by Diana Doyle – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Begging call, call · Battiste Bed, Breakfast and Birds, United States by Diana Doyle – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q926291 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Elf owl – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Hayford Peirce ( talk · contribs ) – GFDL