The Saw-whet Owl
DESCRIPTION OF SAW-WHET OWL The Saw-whet owl is a very small owl. It has an overly large head and they look small when in a tree but when flying in the air it looks much larger. It is brownish red and streaked with white. The facial disk is grayish. The eyes are big and yellow. The bill is black. The feet are light buff and heavy feathers.
click here to see a picture
HABITAT
Saw-whet Owls usually live in wooded swamps and bogs. Since the range of these owls is so large, it has learned to survive in different types of trees. It also finds unique nesting areas. This owl does not migrate, so it survives in many different climates and temperatures. The only time it leaves a home is when there is deep snow and severe winter that makes it impossible for the owl to find food.
This owl feeds on frogs, small mammals and other birds. But the principal food is wood mice. It has also been known to eat rats and squirrels much larger than itself.click here to see a dissected owl pellet
NESTING/EGGS
A female will lay five to six white chalky eggs in a hole in a tree. This is usually in a woodpecker hole but can be a natural cavity. This nest is unlined and usually quite small.
Nesting trees are usually 4-6 meters tall and dead. The nesting generally takes place between March and July. The incubation period is 26-28 days long. The female does this while the male brings her food.
RANGE
The Saw-whet Owl lives mainly in the northern and western United States. They also live in southern Canada and parts of Alaska. The Saw-whet usually likes to migrate along the Atlantic coastline or down the Ohio River Valley. Saw-whet juveniles are more likely to migrate than the adults.
click here to see a map
VOICE
The Saw-whet Owl has two types of calls, a primary courtship call and a territorial call. It only vocalizes during breeding season which is usually between March and May. The primary courtship call can be emitted in 1 ½ notes per second. The Saw-Whet can do this for several hours without stopping. The territorial call has very short clear notes.
click here to hear one of their calls
SPECIAL FEATURES
· The Saw-Whet Owl can live in captivity.
· It is very tame.
· The Saw-Whet Owl can be trained. It may occasionally fly into a person’s hand.
· The Saw-Whet Owl is one of the smallest owls.
· It has been known to attack and kill mammals much larger than itself. It has been known to attack a man when he was approaching its eggs.
· The Saw-Whet Owls’ name came from its call, which resembles the whetting of a saw.
· The Saw-Whet is a miniature version of the Strixwood owls.ABOUT THIS BACKGROUND This background was created from images of sculptures created by this team's members. The sculptures were photographed using a digital camera, edited using PhotoShop 6.0, copied and pasted together to make the new image that we used for this background.