Northern Saw-whet Owl Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  These are very small owls with large, rounded heads that lack ear tufts.

  Relative Size

  Slightly heavier (but more compact) than a Hairy Woodpecker; smaller than an Eastern Screech-Owl.

  robin-sized

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 7.1-8.3 in (18-21 cm)
    • Weight: 2.3-5.3 oz (65-151 g)
    • Wingspan: 16.5-18.9 in (42-48 cm)

• Color Pattern

  Northern Saw-whet Owls are mottled brown birds with a whitish facial disk and white-spotted head. Their eyes are yellow. Juveniles are dark brown with creamy yellow breast and belly.

• Behavior

  They are nocturnal and hard to see, but they have a shrill, penetrating call that they give many times in succession. During daylight they roost in dense vegetation, typically just above eye level and near the trunk in evergreen trees.

• Habitat

  Northern Saw-whet Owls are forest birds. They breed in extensive forests across northern North America, also sometimes using more open habitats such as the shrubsteppe of the West as long as there are nest sites available. They winter in dense forests across the central and southern U.S.