Northern Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus)

Northern Saw-whet Owl - A Bird with a Lot to Say

February 27, 2023 For such a small owl, the Northern Saw-whet has a lot to say. And a lot of ways to say it. Males weigh about as much as an American Robin. And they send out at least 11 different calls, including “toot-toot-toot” advertising calls, from late January through May. The rate of calling is

Owls Migrate, Too

August 29, 2022 When you think of bird migrations, you might think of a bluebird or a robin first. But some owls do migrate – such as the Short-eared Owl, which flies south for the winter. Northern Saw-whet Owls were once thought non-migratory, but in fact they travel at night, unseen. Snowy Owls breed in

Glowing Feathers

July 12, 2022 When a Northern Saw-whet Owl spreads its wings, many birds can see something our human eyes can’t: the owl’s flight feathers glow with ultraviolet light. It’s invisible to humans without the help of a UV blacklight. While the glowing feathers on parrots might help them attract mates, the

Bird Beats by So Wylie

September 23, 2021 Music producer So Wylie began transforming bird calls and songs into musical “bird beats” during the pandemic. The first bird beat she made was inspired by Rocky, a Northern Saw-whet Owl that was found bundled up in the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in 2020. Since then, the Boreal Owl

Birds That Whistle

January 6, 2021 Many bird songs are rich and complex, difficult to remember, and nearly impossible to imitate. Some species' songs, however, sound as if they could have been whistled by a human. These simpler, pure-noted songs are some of the most familiar and easy to remember. These songs -- including

Northern Saw-whet - The Christmas Tree Owl

December 11, 2020 Christmas tree plantations may not be the best habitat for wild birds, but they do hold an attraction - for Northern Saw-Whet Owls. These miniature owls seem to feel at home in the small evergreens. And when the birds are spotted, they're most likely to remain motionless rather than fly

Saw-whet Owls Hoot and Hoot

October 7, 2020 Northern Saw-whet Owls are common in forests across southern Canada and the northern U.S. In early autumn, many move southward, making a large concentration especially in the region of the Great Lakes. To our ear, the "advertising call" of the male, made mostly in spring and summer, sounds

Northern Saw-whet Owls - Common but Unknown

February 15, 2020 Northern Saw-whet Owls reveal we have much to learn about the world of birds. Author and naturalist Scott Weidensaul shares his insight: “Here’s a species that up until the early to mid-1990s was considered to be rare in most of its range . . . It turns out this is one of the most common