PYGMIES are perhaps the most unsuspicious and friendliest of the Owls. They hunt frequently in full daylight and altho the usual menu lists grasshoppers, beetles and other insects, they do not hesitate to attack rodents larger than themselves. The wings make a distinct whistling and they strike prey with closed pinions followed by an upward flutter. They are partial to coniferous forests and often use a deserted Woodpecker's hole for nesting.