When prey is plentiful, they will kill more than they can eat at once, caching the excess in a safe place. They nest in tree cavities, where the female does all of the incubation and brooding while the male hunts. They spend the daylight hours roosting quietly in thick cover, where their presence is sometimes betrayed by the scolding of a mob of smaller birds.Īlthough they vocalize year-round, Northern Saw-whets can be heard more often during their breeding season (April through June), when they are looking for mates. Northern Saw-whet Owls are almost entirely nocturnal and are far more often heard than seen. Starlings and squirrels compete with them for nesting cavities and also plunder nests and kill owlets. Saw-whet Owls may be preyed upon by larger species of owls and hawks. Surveys should be conducted at least one hour after sunset. Saw-whets in West Virginia actively responded to playback from April through June. Sign up for ABC's eNews to learn how you can help protect birds Based on survey work conducted in neighboring states, the peak calling period for Saw-whets in North Carolina is roughly late March through early May. In addition, habitat shifts caused by climate change may affect the southern range limit of this species in the future. Saw-whet Owls sometimes fall victim to collisions, and the mature forest habitat they favor is increasingly lost. It has bright yellow eyes and a large, rounded head without ear tufts.

Named for its repeated tooting whistle, some say the bird sounds like a saw being sharpened on a whetstone.

The tiny Northern Saw-whet Owl is almost as diminutive as the Elf Owl and Peru's Long-whiskered Owlet.

Saw whet owl call