Northern Saw-whet Owl

Aegolius acadicusOrder: STRIGIFORMES Family: True Owls (Strigidae)

Codes: Common Name: NSWO Scientific Name: AEGACA ITIS Taxonomic No.: 177942

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Overview

Northern Saw-whet Owl: Small, large headed owl, brown upperparts, white underparts with thick brown stripes. Head has gray facial disk with white "Y” between eyes; lacks ear tufts. Bill is dark. Wings are brown with white spots. White undertail coverts. Direct, silent flight with fluttering wing beats.

Range and Habitat

Northern Saw-whet Owl: Found from southern Alaska and Canada to northern Mexico; migrate to southern parts of range during winter, especially when food is scarce. Preferred habitats include dense coniferous or mixed hardwood forests.

Topo Map: Owl-like Body

Listen to Call

Similar Sounding

Voice Text

"hoop", "skiew", "swEE"

Interesting Facts

European explorers first discovered this owl in a North American colony called Acadia, now known as Nova Scotia.

The Northern Saw-whet Owl is also called Acadian Owl, Blind Owl, Kirkland's Owl, the Saw-filer, Sparrow Owl, White-fronted Owl, Farmland Owl, Little Nightbird, Queen Charlotte Owl, and the Whet-saw Owl.

When threatened, they elongate their body in order to appear like a tree branch, often bringing one wing around to the front of their body.

When prey is plentiful, they will kill up to 6 mice in rapid succession, without consuming any of them. The excess food is cached in a safe place and, in winter, is thawed out later by "brooding" the frozen carcass. When food is plentiful, it is common for only the head of each prey to be eaten.

A group of owls has many collective nouns, including "a bazaar of owls", "a glaring of owls", "a parliament of owls", "a stooping of owls", and a "wisdom of owls."

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Gary Owen Dick

Related Birds

Burrowing Owl
Boreal Owl
Elf Owl

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Northern Saw-whet Owl

● Song: "hoop", "skiew", "swEE"

● Foraging & Feeding: Northern Saw-whet Owl: Diet consists of insects, small rodents, moles, shrews, bats, birds, and frogs; can take prey near its own size; forages from low perches or by soaring along the edges of open parks and meadows.

● Breeding & nesting: Northern Saw-whet Owl: Four to seven white eggs are laid in a natural cavity or abandoned woodpecker hole. Incubation ranges from 26 to 28 days and is carried out by the female; male brings her food while incubating.

● Similar species: Northern Saw-whet Owl: Boreal Owl is slightly larger, has yellow or white bill, rectangular head, white facial disk, and is darker brown overall.

Flight Pattern

Bouyant flight., Fluttering wing beats.

● Range & Habitat: Northern Saw-whet Owl: Found from southern Alaska and Canada to northern Mexico; migrate to southern parts of range during winter, especially when food is scarce. Preferred habitats include dense coniferous or mixed hardwood forests.

^BreedingMonogamous

^PopulationFairly common, Declining

^MigrationIrregular

^Weight2.6 Ounces

Owl-like Body

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Undertail coverts

Small feathers that cover the areas where the retrices (tail feathers) attach to the rump.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America