The fierce, top carnivore of the Sonoran Desert weighs in around 3 ounces and stands just over 6 inches tall. While the cactus ferruginous pygmy-owl's stature may be small, they play an outsized role in the health and vitality of entire ecosystems. They are important predators helping to control reptile, insect, small mammal and even bird populations. These owls' abundance or absence is also an indicator of the health of the Sonoran Desert, because the owls are sensitive to changes in their environment.
Yet humans have let its range shrink dramatically. The owl was historically found across the Sonoran Deserts of Arizona and Mexico, but with no known populations north of Interstate 10 in Arizona, it is now only found in small patches.
In the early 20th century, major rivers were dewatered and inter-connected riparian woodlands fragmented. The terrain today faces prolonged drought, is crawling with invasive species, like buffelgrass, that dramatically alter natural fire regimes, and is seeing accelerating habitat loss and fragmentation from infrastructure and development. These are not speculative threats; they are documented realities that have all taken a toll.
For 30 years, Defenders of Wildlife has been a strong voice for the conservation and recovery of cactus ferruginous pygmy-owls. We focus on science-based advocacy, collaboration with local communities to promote coexistence between people and wildlife, and we resorted to litigation against the federal government when it failed the owl. We are facing more challenges today, however, due to proposed changes to regulations implementing the Endangered Species Act.
Without targeted action, therefore, we risk losing these owls from key areas of southern Arizona and thus from the United States completely.
Restoration: A Targeted, Cost-Effective Win
Because of a Defenders of Wildlife lawsuit, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service finalized the listing of the cactus ferruginous pygmy-owl as a threatened subspecies in July 2023. At that time, FWS concluded that critical habitat designation was needed and would come later. But the owl continues to await that designation today.
At a more local level, action has already begun. In southern Arizona, Pima County’s Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan stands as a shining example of what can be achieved. This regional plan is a groundbreaking model for balancing conservation and development as it protects key habitats and guides sustainable growth. Despite weaknesses in grazing management and lack of nest site conservation, the plan lays the foundation for habitat protection efforts that benefit the cactus ferruginous pygmy-owls and other sensitive species.
Efforts targeting habitat restoration address the core mechanisms driving declines of these owls. And restoring habitat and watershed function is not a theoretical fix; it is a targeted, cost-effective one. Efforts like restoration of streams and uplands, planting native vegetation with a focus on nest cavity-bearing saguaros and installing nest boxes will benefit both wildlife and people.
These actions improve drought resilience, reduce fire and flood risks, and augment critical habitat resources and ecological integrity. Many local landowners support such treatments, especially when paired with regulatory flexibility, such as is offered under the cactus ferruginous pygmy-owl’s species-specific 4(d) rule. The rule allows for activities that help conservation — controlled burns and habitat restoration, for example — to proceed without requiring incidental take permits, if they don't harm the species' survival. This approach builds trust and incentives for landowners while promoting common goals.
It just goes to show that, with sufficient funding, we can achieve tangible, durable results.
Of course, protecting and restoring habitat is not enough. We must also reconnect these areas. Landscape connectivity allows owls to move between territories, ensuring gene flow and population persistence. But connectivity does not come cheap. It requires strategic land acquisitions, easements and restoration across a fragmented landscape marked by a web of roads, urban sprawl and now a barrier at the international border.
Proposed ESA Regulation Changes That Make Saving These Owls More Difficult
All these actions to recover the owl are placed squarely at risk by the Trump Administration’s new proposals to amend the ESA’s implementing regulations.
One particularly troubling development is the proposed rescission and reinterpretation of the regulatory definition of “harm” under the ESA. If the proposal is finalized as written, the longstanding regulatory interpretation that habitat destruction that leads to death or injury of endangered (and many threatened) wildlife species constitutes illegal “take” unless authorized will be eliminated. The definition of “harm” has served as a cornerstone of ESA implementation and enforcement, ensuring significant habitat modification or degradation that kills or injures listed wildlife species by impairing essential behaviors like feeding, breeding and sheltering are appropriately authorized and mitigated.
Section 7, for a prime example, currently requires federal agencies proposing activities that may affect these owls — or any listed species — or their critical habitat to consult with FWS and, where necessary, develop measures to minimize impact. The administration’s proposed changes to Section 7’s implementing regulations may reduce FWS’s ability to require impact mitigation.
So, despite the major threat that development in the owl’s habitat poses, these proposed changes, if finalized, may reduce habitat protections.
Now is the Time to Act
Saving the cactus ferruginous pygmy-owl is not just about protecting a single species. We all need to stay informed and speak up for wildlife. Arizonians can go a step further and engage in state and local development proposals and take a stand against further degrading these owls’ habitat.
Let us turn science and shared purpose into a legacy of restoration and resilience.
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