A burrowing owl chick learns to fly in an agricultural field next to its new home, a refuge in the Sonoran Desert. The cardboard pet carrier rested on a patch of desert grass with a towel draped ...

a subspecies of the more widespread ferruginous pygmy-owl, is a 6- to 7-inch tall predator that inhabits portions of the Sonoran Desert, the south of Texas, and northeast and northwest of Mexico.

“No one has ever disputed that the pygmy owl is endangered in the Sonoran Desert,” he said. The cactus ferruginous pygmy owl, was the subject of years of public policy debates and several ...

“It’s part of the web of life in the Sonoran Desert and it’s at risk of extinction,” Center for Biological Diversity Southwest conservation advocate Russ McSpadden said. The new ...

including the pygmy owl, which the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service protected in July as threatened. “It plays a huge role in maintaining the health of the Sonoran Desert,” McSpadden said.

A new study finds that the Sonoran Desert’s iconic cactuses are suffering, not only from prolonged drought but also from ...