Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl

How to find it

Look in dry forest and edge habitat on the Pacific slope, and listen for the whistled call. Watch for small birds mobbing something, because that often gives away where the owl is perched. Then approach slowly and search the branches. In some places, three to five owls have been counted calling from a single spot. Birders often use its call to draw it in, and a Costa Rican biologist says it flies in to look when he whistles back. Do this sparingly, because local birds may mob the owl.

How to recognise it

This is a tiny, chunky owl, under about 6 inches tall, far smaller than the owls most people picture.

Look for these marks:

False eye spots on the back of the head, two dark marks that look like a second pair of eyes.

Short, light streaks on the crown, the best field mark.

Color that varies: brown, rufous and in-between forms, so do not rely on overall color.

Bright yellow eyes and a yellow beak, which may peek out of an old woodpecker hole.

Juveniles look different from adults. They have more dots than streaks on the crown, and their false eye spots are missing or poorly defined.

What it sounds like

Recording: Linzy L., CC BY-SA 4.0, source, read 4 Nov 2026.

Behaviour and diet

It hunts in quick flights from a hidden perch, taking large insects, lizards and sometimes small birds. Small birds often chase it by day, and up to 40 birds of 11 species have been recorded mobbing a single owl, so a noisy crowd of songbirds is a good clue.

It nests high up in tree cavities, often old woodpecker holes or termite nests, and lays 2 to 5 eggs. Breeding runs from the dry season into the start of the rainy season. The whistling is used to attract mates and mark the nest territory, and it also occurs when chicks are about to leave the nest.

Where it lives

It is found from sea level up to about 1,500 m, though mostly in the lowlands. It lives in dry forest types and sometimes mangroves, and it likes secondary growth and partly open areas such as plantations and gardens. It even lives in suburbs that have some trees.

It is fairly common in the northwest lowlands, south to the hills above Parrita. In the Central Valley it reaches regularly to Paraíso. It occasionally reaches about 1,000 m, and one was photographed near 1,300 m at Monteverde. There are no reports from the south Pacific slope.

When to see it

It is present year-round in Costa Rica, and early morning, from dawn to about 8 AM, is said to be the best time. The whistling is heard when the dry season is at its height, continuing into the start of the rains.

Similar birds

Costa Rica has three pygmy-owls. This one has a streaked crown, while the Central American and Costa Rican Pygmy-Owls have white dots on the crown. Central American lives in lowland and foothill rainforest on the Caribbean side. Costa Rican is a highland species, usually above about 1,200 m, and its rufous form is much less spotted than its brown form, which may cause confusion.

Names and lore in Costa Rica

Besides the official name Mochuelo Común, Costa Ricans call it Majafierro, Lechucita de Cafetal and Cuatro Ojos. Cuatro Ojos means 'four eyes', which fits the two dark false eye spots on the back of its neck.

Status and conservation

It is a resident (R) on the AOCR list, Least Concern with IUCN but with a decreasing population trend, and it is on CITES Appendix II.

Photography tips

Listen first for where it is whistling, then approach slowly and search the branches. Watch for bright yellow eyes and a yellow beak peeking out of old woodpecker holes that it often uses for nesting.