Profile
In flight
Owls
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Aegolius acadicus
- rare
- 55 km/h
- Least Concern
Sparrow-sized owl named for its toot like a saw being sharpened. Migrates farther than most people realize.
- Population
- ~2,000,000 mature individuals globally
- Habitat
- Coniferous and mixed forests, often near wetlands, nesting in tree cavities
- Fun fact
- Despite its round-eyed, almost cartoonishly cute appearance, the Northern Saw-whet Owl got its common name from early settlers who thought its calls sounded like a saw blade being sharpened on a whetstone.
- Range
- North America — southeastern Alaska and southern Canada south through most of the United States to the mountains of central Mexico; northern populations migratory, others resident
- Diet
- Primarily small mammals (deer mice and voles make up the bulk of prey, 88-100% of diet by some studies), occasionally small birds and large insects
- Size
- 0.195 m
- Lifespan
- 9.4 years
