The saw-whet owl is a mighty hunter, killing whatever they can, whenever they can. The saw-whet's favorite meals are made up of mice, voles, moles and shrews but they will also eat insects, song birds and amphibians. When prey is plentiful this owl will store up food. They will kill much more than they need and store their extra kills for later. When prey becomes scarce during winter they have some in cold storage and will find the hidden food, sit on it (much like they would incubate an egg), until it thaws and presto, one owl t.v. dinner. These petite predators inhabit coniferous and deciduous forests, with thickets and shrubbery. They live is forests where woodpeckers have created cavities for nest sites. Like most owls these birds are active at night (nocturnal) and have excellent night vision. They sleep during the day, usually close to the ground and rely heavily on their camouflaged colours when hiding. |
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The saw-whet owl is a solitary bird, only pairing up during breeding season (usually between March and May). Females are significantly larger than males but are otherwise coloured the same. While the mother bird sits on her 3-7 eggs, the male does the grocery shopping and keeps mom fed. Young owlets take 4-5 weeks to fledge and are only cared for by their parents for a few weeks following fledging. After that, they must fend for themselves. Some predators of the Saw-Whet owl are larger owls, Cooper's Hawks and martens. When these owls feel threatened or sense danger during the day they will elongate their bodies and as a result look like a tree branch stump |
