 Breeding evidence |
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Click on plot to view table of mean abundance
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Number of squares
Long-term BBS trends
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Mean abundance (number of birds detected per 5 min. point count) and percentage of squares occupied by region Bird Conservation Regions [abund. plot]
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Atlas Results
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Excerpts Adapted from the Birds of Saskatchewan:
Northern Pygmy-Owls are known for their aggressive, almost fearless behaviour. They disperse in winter in search of prey, including small mammals and birds, some much larger than themselves (Hannah 1999). Records of Pygmy-Owls away from their Rocky Mountain range, where Holroyd and Coneybeare (1989) consider them irruptive, follow an irregular pattern of wandering eastward exhibited by several other mountain bird species.
Northern Pygmy-Owls are secretive and widely dispersed year-round residents in Alberta's mountains, foothills, and southwestern portions of the boreal forest, where they prefer older forest stands for nesting (Hannah 1999).
The first confirmed Saskatchewan record of this tiny owl, smaller even than the Saw-Whet, was 12 Oct 2014 at Napatak on the west shore of Lac la Ronge, 14 km south of La Ronge townsite by Richard Gruchy. The second Saskatchewan record for this species occurred on 27 Dec 2016, when Jan and Stan Shadick discovered a Northern Pygmy-Owl while conducting a first-time Christmas Bird Count along Hwy 919 (near km 36) north of Pierceland, within 12 km of the Alberta border. While broadcasting recorded owl calls, return Pygmy-Owl calls were heard coming from a mixed stand of spruce and poplar. A group of agitated Gray Jays and Boreal Chickadees, first attracted to the recordings, moved to mob the vocalizing owl, helping the Shadicks locate the owl for careful observation before it flew away (S. Shadick SaskBirds 29511).
Original text by Philip S. Taylor. Text adapted by Daniel J. Sawatzky
Read more about the Northern Pygmy-Owl in the Birds of Saskatchewan here.
Recommended citation: Latremouille, L. M. 2025. Northern Pygmy-Owl in Latremouille, L. M., S. L. Van Wilgenburg, C. B. Jardine, D. Lepage, A. R. Couturier, D. Evans, D. Iles, and K. L. Drake (eds.). 2025. The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Saskatchewan, 2017-2021. Birds Canada. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan https://sk.birdatlas.ca/accounts/speciesaccount.jsp?sp=NOPO&lang=en [09 Nov 2025]
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