A tiny owl of about 6 inches, they are a favorite of mine to find, though quite difficult to spot given their size. The call is easy to replicate and often gets answered. We found 3 on this trip which was quite the highlight, because in the previous trip, I could only manage a butt-shot that was worth keeping.
If you can imagine a baseball hidden in a tree, that is about the size of this guy without the tail. In this shot, it looks as though he is roosting in a branch a few feet from me and the shot is basically eye to eye, but in fact this is an overhead vertical shot, and the pygmy is looking down at me. My neck hurt alot on this trip, but I cannot complain!
Click the photo for a look at a jumbo sized pygmy owl! And...depending on your monitor, it is close to actual size!
