Northern Saw-whet Owl

The Northern Saw-whet Owl is a tiny, secretive owl of North American conifer and mixed forests, named for a call once likened to the sound of a saw being sharpened ("whetted") on a stone. Despite its small size, it undertakes regular migratory movements each year.

It has a rounded head with no ear tufts, large yellow eyes, and a whitish facial disc bordered by a dark rim, contrasting with its reddish-brown, white-streaked body plumage.

Because of its small size and secretive, nocturnal habits, it is rarely seen despite being fairly common, and its feathers are correspondingly diminutive compared to most other North American owls.

Recognizing the feathers

• Body feathers are reddish-brown with bold white streaking on the underparts and white spotting on the upperparts.
• Facial disc feathers are whitish, forming a pale disc with a distinct dark rim - a key identifying feature.
• Flight feathers are quite small and soft-fringed, reflecting this owl's diminutive size.
• No ear-tuft feathers are present.

Similar species

• Smaller overall size and reddish-brown streaked pattern separate it from Boreal Owl, which is more spotted than streaked and has a darker-bordered facial disc; both lack ear tufts, unlike Screech-Owls.

Plumage

Adults are reddish-brown above with white spotting, and white below with bold reddish-brown streaking, plus a whitish facial disc rimmed in dark brown. Sexes look alike.

Juveniles show a strikingly different plumage: rich chocolate-brown body with a bold buffy-orange facial disc, quite unlike the streaked adult pattern, before molting into adult plumage in their first fall.

Molt occurs mainly in late summer and fall.

Habitat & range

Found across much of North America, from southern Canada through the northern and mountainous United States, in dense coniferous or mixed forest, often near forest edges or dense thickets used for daytime roosting.

Many populations are migratory, moving south in fall and returning north in spring, though some populations at moderate latitudes are largely resident.

Behavior & field notes

A nocturnal hunter of small mammals, especially mice, caught from low perches within dense cover.

Its call is a repetitive, monotonous series of whistled notes, quite different from the hoots of larger owls, and is the primary way this secretive species is detected.

A small reddish-brown, white-streaked feather, or a distinctly plain chocolate-brown juvenile feather, found in dense conifer forest, is consistent with this species.