Laura Erickson’s For the Birds

This tiny owl, endemic to Cuba, was once called the Cuban Screech-Owl, though it’s not related to the screech-owls. The only member of the genus Margarobyas, its relatively long, unfeathered legs are similar to those of the Burrowing Owl; both species frequently hunt from the ground. Bare-legged Owls nest in cavities, and have been helped by people constructing nest boxes. They feed mostly on insects and other arthropod, but also frogs, snakes, and small birds.