Owl Central: Flammulated Owls

Flammulated Owls
Flammuted Owls live in quite a few places, a lot being near and/or at the western coast of North America. Some of these places are British Columbia, certain states of the USA, and Mexico. However, these owls have a wintering range. This adds South America to the list.
Flammulated Owls are small owls. The females are the larger of the two genders, but they only grow to 7 inches tall. The males are technically shorter, but only by half an inch.
Like Eastern Screech Owls, Flammulated Owls have two color phases. There's the gray phase, in which the owls are a gray-brownish color, often with a darkish hue. The other phase is the red phase, where the top of these owls are a cinnamon-red color.
The breeding season begins later for these birds, starting around mid-May. Unlike some other owls I've mentioned, incubation begins after the second egg is laid, not the first! Momma stays on the eggs most of the time, while Dada goes hunting to feed her. However, she does go on short trips out.
Flammulated Owls don't make big calls. They hoot, but it sometimes sounds more like boo, and they usually do it in one-syllable calls at regular intervals. However, this jumps up to two-syllables for finding mates. And hoots are their only call... Flammulated Owl parents let loose sounds that can sound like a kitten's mewling. But the quiet sounds of the parents are made up for by the chicks... they loose out noises that can be heard up to 110 yards away!!!
As you can except, these small owls don't really eat big things most of the time. Like the Whiskered Screech Owl, Flammulated Owls eat bugs. However, these birds do eat something surprising... sometimes they eat small birds! Wow!
Flammulated Owls are not the most secure owls in the world. They're protected in British Columbia, but in the USA they're under "Vulnerable" status. Like usual, habitat loss is one culprit. But habitat modification is a threat too, as well the pesticides used for controlling spruce budworms!