General Description: Northern Saw-whet Owls (Aegolius acadicus) are small, brown-streaked creatures with an unusually large head. The facial disk is broad, and there are no ear tufts. Note the white V- or X-shaped pattern on the face. The eyes are yellow, the bill is dark, and there are small white spots on the folded wings.

Taxonomy: Strigiformes, Strigidae.

Favored Habitat: These owls generally are found in forested country where they nest in tree cavities and sometimes nest boxes.

Where to Find: Don't look for Saw-whets around Las Vegas, but rather look for them in mountain forests. Do, however, keep an ear and an eye out for them as they are thought to be resident in the Spring Mountains (forests on Mt. Charleston) and deep canyons of Red Rocks.

Comments: Owls are hard to find, but listen for them at night. The main call of Saw-whet Owls is a series of rapid (2/sec), monotonic, mid-tone whistles. The whistles usually are called 3-5 in a row with a short gap between series, but they can go on for a long time. Link to All About Birds sounds page.

Northern Saw-whet Owls are strong predators that feed mostly on deer mice. Adult mice, however, are too big to eat, so they save left-overs for later.