Meet The Tiniest Elf Owl In The World

Native to the American Southwest, Elf Owls are slightly larger than a soda can, but that doesn't stop them from being determined predators. The tiny elf owl (Micrathene whitneyi) weighs less than a golf ball.

Elf owls would rather flee than fight, but they have been known to mob predators like great horned owls. Making loud alarm calls, a few elf owls dive-bomb the larger owl, then more birds join in, sometimes of different species. Its cover blown, the great horned owl's chance of catching an elf owl dinner takes a nosedive too. If a predator manages to get close, elf owls have another trick: playing dead until the danger has passed.