biology

Pernambuco pygmy owl

Pernambuco pygmy owl is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Pernambuco pygmy owl rather than just read about it. In short: The Pernambuco pygmy owl (Glaucidium mooreorum) is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. This species, first described in 2002, is endemic to Pernambuco state in Brazil.

Key takeaways

Pernambuco pygmy owl belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Pernambuco pygmy owl to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Pernambuco pygmy owl from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Pernambuco pygmy owl (Glaucidium mooreorum) is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. This species, first described in 2002, is endemic to Pernambuco state in Brazil.

Taxonomy and systematics The Pernambuco pygmy owl was first described in December 2002 when two study skins were examined. The skins were originally collected in 1980 and thought to be subspecies of the East Brazilian pygmy owl (Glaucidium minutissimum) or Amazonian pygmy owl (G. hardyi). Upon closer examination of the skins, and vocalizations of the species recorded in 1990, it was concluded that it was a new species. It was suggested that the type specimen of the East Brazilian pygmy owl is actually of this species, which if true would require that Pernambuco pygmy owl have the binomial G. minutissimum and that the East Brazilian pygmy owl be assigned a new binomial, G. sicki. The suggestion was rejected by the major avian taxonomic systems.

Description The Pernambuco pygmy owl is about 13 cm (5.1 in) long and weighs about 51 g (1.8 oz). The adult's face is a mix of whitish and brownish streaks and the rest of the head is raw umber with small white dots. The upperparts are chestnut and the tail is blackish brown with lines of white spots making broken bars across it. The underparts are white, the sides of the chest brown, and the flanks streaked with brown. The juvenile plumage is unknown. A typical Neotropical pygmy-owl of the Glaucidium minutissimum species complex. It has a light grey-chestnut coloured crown and head speckled with conspicuous white spots on the face and head to the lower nape (Fjeldså and Sharpe 2015). Has a white collar and white underparts streaked with rufous. Back is chestnut. Tail dark with white spots. Similar spp. it differs from its geographically closest relatives in its overall lighter colouration, size and voice. Voice a short phrase of 5-7 notes.

Distribution and habitat The Pernambuco pygmy owl is found only in a small area of Pernambuco state in northeastern Brazil. It has been observed in the canopy of humid forest near its edge at a maximum elevation of 150 m (490 ft) above sea level.

Behavior

Feeding One Pernambuco pygmy owl was observed eating a large cicada. Nothing else is known about its diet, which is assumed to include other invertebrates, small mammals, and small reptiles.

Breeding The Pernambuco pygmy owl was found to be vocally active during the rainy season, April and May, but no other information about its breeding phenology is known.

Vocalization

The Pernambuco pygmy owl's song is "a short phrase of 5–7 notes" with each note rising in pitch.

Status The IUCN has assessed the Pernambuco pygmy owl as being Critically Endangered and Possibly Extinct. It was originally assessed without the Possibly Extinct qualifier, but a 2018 study citing bird extinction patterns and the almost complete destruction of its habitat recommended uplisting the owl to Critically Endangered - Possibly Extinct status. It was uplisted the following year. The species has not been seen since 2001 despite extensive targeted searches. If still extant, it is assumed to have a tiny and declining population within an extremely small range. Any remaining population is estimated at fewer than fifty adult birds.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Pernambuco pygmy owl

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Pernambuco pygmy owl claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Pernambuco pygmy owl before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Pernambuco pygmy owl ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Pernambuco pygmy owl

In research: Pernambuco pygmy owl appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Pernambuco pygmy owl in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Pernambuco pygmy owl is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Birds described in 2002, Critically endangered animals, Critically endangered biota of South America, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Pernambuco pygmy owl outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Pernambuco pygmy owl in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Pernambuco pygmy owl means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Pernambuco pygmy owl out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pernambuco pygmy owl in simple terms?

The Pernambuco pygmy owl (Glaucidium mooreorum) is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. This species, first described in 2002, is endemic to Pernambuco state in Brazil.

Why does Pernambuco pygmy owl matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Pernambuco pygmy owl?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Pernambuco pygmy owl.