Opuntia Blog

Cactus Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, photo by Norm Smith, click on image to see more of Mr. Smith's photographs

The cactus ferruginous pygmy-owlis one of three subspecies of ferruginous pygmy-owls. One subspecies is found in south Texas and into Mexico, and one is found in South America. The cactus ferruginous pygmy owl (Glaucidium brasilianum subsp. cactorum) is found in south-central Arizona and adjacent portions of Mexico. These small owls are 6-7 inches in length, and males weigh just over  2 ounces while females are a bit heavier.

The cactus ferruginous pygmy-owl typically nests in tree or cactus  (saguaro or organ pipe) cavities from about April to June. The birds are generally found below 4,000 ft in riparian woodlands or in grasslands and scrublands. They were listed as an endangered species but their legal status has changed in recent years. It is thought that urban sprawl, livestock ranching, or other factors (eg, noise and pollution) have contributed to the loss of habitat.

You can find more about the cactus ferruginous pygmy-owl at Owling.com or at the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

The Big Bend area of Texas is an amazing place, with plants and wildlife in abundance. These vultures were photographed by a friend. It is not clear what type they are.

Vultures in Big Bend, settling in for the night

Guilded Flicker at nest in saguaro cactus

The Guilded Flicker is found in various habitats, but it is a famous woodpecker in the Sonoran Desert where it excavates nests in saguaro cacti. This flicker is different from the Red-shafted Flicker, the Northern Flicker, and the Yellow-shafted Flicker. The Guilded Flicker eats ants, berries, and saguaro fruit.

You can read more about the Guilded Flicker here, and here. You can learn more about the saguaro catus here.

Emu with Opuntia plants in background

Emus are large birds that can weigh 50-100 lb and be over 4-foot-tall. They are found over much of Australia but are now extinct in Tasmania. They have a shaggy appearance due to their peculiar feathers, and they have blue skin on their bare necks.

As Australian birds they don’t naturally cooccur with Opuntia, but on ranches in Texas the birds and the plants can be found together. Somehow they seem to go together, maybe because both call to mind open places and wildlands.

The emu in the picture was in a fenced pasture near Uvalde, Texas. Barely seen (in this picture) are Opuntia lindheimeri and O. orbiculata in the background.

Peacock in a cactus

I don’t recognize the cactus, but I do recognize the peacock. There was little information with the photo (click here for original), but I think the photo was taken in the Netherlands Antilles (Dutch Antilles/West Indies).

I’d be guessing, but I suppose the cactus is an introduced species (as is the peacock). You can learn more about peacocks here, and here. You can learn more about columnar cacti here.

Echinocereus coccineus, claret cup cactus, visited by hummingbirds

Echinocereus coccineus is adapted to pollination by hummingbirds. Not only does the red color of the flower help attract hummingbirds, but the actual shape of the flower is adapted to fit the bird bill and head. In addition to hummingbirds, sweat bees (halictid bees) are reported to visit the flowers of E. coccineus, and some information suggests the bees pollinate the flowers along with hummingbirds.

One paper reports:

“Claret cup flowers are huge and highly rewarding compared to sympatric hummingbird flowers from other plant families. Flower length and width averaged 68 mm and 30 mm, respectively, and daily nectar production averaged 30 mg sugar/flower. This set of traits represents a syndrome rare among hummingbird flowers in which the flower fits the head rather than just the bill, and birds are well rewarded for a risky or inconvenient visit. “

You can find more information about E. coccineus and hummingbirds here, and here. Some forms of Echinocereus coccineus are easily cold hardy to -10 F. Coldharydcactus.com offers E. coccineus they report is hardy into USDA climate zone 5.

Cactus wren, image from Wikimedia

The cactus wren is found in the Mojave, Sonora, and Chihuahua Deserts; the wren may be found in southern California, Nevada, or Arizona, and deep into Mexico. The bird is easily observed flitting about the desert in search of insects, and its nests may be found in various large cacti including chollas (Cylindropuntia), saguaro (in holes), and some other columnar or barrel cacti. Or, sometimes the plant will nest in yucca plants.

 Males and females resemble each other, and both search for ants, beetles, grasshoppers, and bees, etc, though they might eat a bit of fruit now and then or seeds. The birds are remarkably efficient at extracting water from their prey, and they seldom need to drink. The white eye stripe and the black breast spots are useful for identification; there is no other bird like it.

I’ve seen this bird throughout the Mojave desert, but irregularly so. The nests are hard to miss, often a scramble of twigs (with a roof and “tunnel” entry) in a large cholla or perhaps a Joshua tree.

Cactus wren nest in Opuntia acanthodes, Kingman, AZ

Selenicereus anthonyanus is called the fishbone cactus because its stems have the zig-zag (or cross-hatched) appearance reminiscent of fish vertebrae on the bone. Apparently, S. anthonyanus is named after a Dr. Anthony, who first got the species to flower in greenhouses. The species is from Chiapas, Mexico, and perhaps the natives of that region first got the plant to flower.

 The plant grows as an epiphyte in rainforests and is tender to frosts. It is tempting to speculate that the bright colors and large flowers are pollinated by birds.

 Another novelty is that S. anthonyanus is solely (or mostly) propagated from plants of the original collection. Few new collections have been made, according to Wikipedia.

Selenicereus anthonyanus flower, image from Wikipedia

“In Europe, many agricultural areas are now abandoned and hence can be invaded by exotic species. The abundance and spatial distribution patterns of two Opuntia species were studied in old olive groves in the Parc Natural del Cap de Creus, Catalonia (Spain)…. However, although most seedlings were recruited beneath Opuntia [adults], some (10–30%) were found away from putative parental plants. This may be due to seed dispersal by birds and wild boars.”

It is interesting to think of native American species of plants assisting animals on other continents by providing them with fruit and seeds to eat. Its long been known that birds enjoy Opuntia fruits, and cattle will feed on Opuntia cladodes, but I never thought about pigs feeding on Opuntia and serving to move the seeds about.

Opuntia are generally thought to be pollinated by bees. But, birds are important pollinators in the Gallapagos islands. One paper (Grant and Grant, Oeceologia, 1981, vol. 49, pages 179-187). Two finch species (Geospiza conirostris, G. scandens) are known to visit Opuntia species, to use them for food, and to pollinate them.

• The finches help the Opuntia because the plants need their pollen to be transferred from plant to plant.
• The finches consume nectar, pollen, fruits, and seeds.
• The finches can open flowers prematurely and feed on them, but such early feeding destroys flowers.

Many animals interact with Opuntia, even in countries where the plants are introduced “weeds.”

Cactus finch, G. scandens, image from Wikimedia