Written by Peter Pearsall/ Photo by Peter Pearsall
The Northern saw-whet owl is an enigmatic denizen of conifer forests across North America. Despite being common and widespread, this nocturnal, cryptically patterned species is seldom encountered, as it spends most daylight hours asleep, roosting near the trunks of conifers beneath dense cover.
At night, the saw-whet comes to life. Its eponymous vocalization is a series of whistled toots that some liken to the sound of a saw blade being sharpened on a whetstone. In addition to this, the saw-whet produces at least 10 additional sounds, including whines, squeaks, hisses and guttural chuckling.
One of the smallest owl species in North America, saw-whets weigh about as much as a tennis ball and prey on even smaller creatures, mainly rodents and small birds. They hunt almost exclusively at night, using their asymmetrical ears to pinpoint prey rustling in the leaf litter or settling down for a night’s rest.
Saw-whet owls often become prey to other birds of prey, including larger owls. During the day, roosting saw-whet owls are sometimes discovered by chittering flocks of passerine birds, which mob the owl in alarm and sometimes drive it from its hiding place, exposing it to potential predators. This is one reason why human observers should avoid flushing a roosting owl: Not only is it stressful for any sentient being to be startled from sleep, disturbing the owl may also put it in danger. If you are fortunate enough to find a Northern saw-whet owl sleeping in an evergreen, perhaps puffed up against the cold and sleepily eying you from its perch, remember: Let sleeping owls lie.
