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Northern saw-whet owl in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Little but loud
The northern saw-whet owl's name hearkens to bygone days when it shared the Northwoods with roving lumberjacks and hunting fur trappers. The grizzled forest workers likened this tiny owl's call – a high, sharp series of hoots often repeating for hours – to the familiar sound of a whetstone honing a saw tooth by tooth. Although best recognised for making noise, the pint-size predator is great at hearing it, too. As with many owl species, the saw-whet's ears are asymmetrical in structure and placement, allowing it to triangulate upon prey with fierce precision using sound alone.
Little but loud
The northern saw-whet owl's name hearkens to bygone days when it shared the Northwoods with roving lumberjacks and hunting fur trappers. The grizzled forest workers likened this tiny owl's call – a high, sharp series of hoots often repeating for hours – to the familiar sound of a whetstone honing a saw tooth by tooth. Although best recognised for making noise, the pint-size predator is great at hearing it, too. As with many owl species, the saw-whet's ears are asymmetrical in structure and placement, allowing it to triangulate upon prey with fierce precision using sound alone.
Though a ruthless predator, the northern saw-whet is small for an owl, measuring just 15 to 22 centimetres long.
© Megan Lorenz / Adobe Stock 2026-09-11 08:45:51 :