Northern Saw-whet Owl
Aegolius acadicus · Owls
The Northern Saw-whet Owl is a small, nocturnal owl found across North America. Despite being common, its secretive nature and excellent camouflage often lead it to be overlooked. Named for a call that some liken to the sound of a saw being sharpened, this owl is more often heard than seen.
Explore the full field guideNocturnalSmall sizeTooting callCarnivorous
1 call·first heard Sep 16·last 25d ago
When it's heardpeak 5a · fall
5a12p9p
How to know it
- A very small, round-headed owl with no ear tufts. Adults are warm brown with reddish streaks on a white chest.
- Features a cat-like face with bright yellow eyes and a dark bill. A white Y-shaped blaze marks the area between and above the eyes.
- Juveniles in summer are chocolate brown with a tawny buff belly and prominent white eyebrows.
- A subspecies found on Haida Gwaii (A. a. brooksi) has rufous coloring where the widespread subspecies (A. a. acadicus) has white.