Elf owls are found in the Southwestern United States, central Mexico, and the Baja California peninsula. They migrate to the southwest United States; California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, in the spring and summer for breeding. In the winter, Elf owls are found in central and southern Mexico. Migrant birds return north from mid-April to early May. Resident populations occur in a couple of places in south-central Mexico and along the Baja peninsula. Elf owls are often found in chaparral, saguaro deserts, canyons, plateaus, and woodlands often near the bodies of water.