Northern Saw Whet Owl
Essay by evyndira • January 23, 2013 • Essay • 1,452 Words (6 Pages) • 1,392 Views
Introduction
There are about 162 different species of owls alive today. The species we have chosen to do our project on is the Northern Saw Whet owl. We picked this owl because it has an interesting name and a very small body. The unusual name comes from the call of this owl, which sounds like the teeth of a saw being sharpened. It is also called the Acadian owl, Blind owl, or the Sawyer. The body is very small but it has a large head that makes them very cute. The females are usually larger than the males.
Appearance
The Northern Saw Whet owl is one of the smallest on our continent. It is very small bodied, weighing about 80 grams. It has a large wingspan for its size at about 50cm in length. They have bright yellow eyes, a black beak and lightly feather toes with a rather short tail. Their faces have dark brown or grey feathers at the edge with a white center. Their bodies are covered in thick reddish brown feathers with white speckles. The feathers are quite fluffy and the wings have a white undercoat. Saw Whet owls do not have tufted ears.
Habitat
The Northern Saw Whet owl is only found in North America. Their usual habitat is evergreen forests and mixed deciduous and evergreen forests. However, they can also live in wooded swamps or bogs.
The Northern Saw Whet owl likes to rest at low heights in trees or on fence posts. They usually make their nests in woodpecker nests or in natural holes. Sometimes they make their nest in nest boxes, especially when they don't have any suitable holes.
Food and Hunting
This owl is most often nocturnal, feeding at night and mostly on small organisms. They mainly use the sit and wait hunting tactic, swooping down silently on prey from a low branch. However, they are able to wander the forest floor looking for food under brush and fallen leaves. They prefer to feed on deer mice, eating them in pieces, at two different meals. They will also eat small birds, bats, moles, squirrels or frogs. When there are large amounts of prey the Saw Whet owl is known to hide food and dig it up later when food sources are low.
Adaptations
The Northern Saw Whet owls are birds of prey,
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