Discover

Today
Animals
Explore
Archive
Search

Use it

Classroom
Resources
Field lab
Quiz
Saved

Trust

Methodology
Sources
Corrections
Accessibility
Contributors

Details

About
Contact
Privacy
Terms
Newsletter

Northern Saw-whet Owl | Daily Animal Facts

Animal profile

Northern Saw-whet Owl

Aegolius acadicus

AvesDense coniferous and mixed forest, thickets and riparian woodlandLeast Concern

Field profile

A very small forest owl with a large round head, no ear tufts and bright yellow eyes. It roosts by day in dense cover and hunts mice and voles at night. Its repetitive whistled tooting song carries a surprising distance for such a small bird.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2024-03-27

Northern Saw-whet Owl

Saw-whet owl wing feathers glow pink under ultraviolet

Porphyrin pigments in fresh flight feathers fluoresce magenta under ultraviolet light and break down with sun exposure. Banders use the pattern of glow across the underwing to estimate a bird's age, because new and retained feathers fluoresce differently.

Read with evidence →