Skip to Content Area

All About Birds

Donate

All About Birds

All About Birds

Birds
Live Cams
Courses
Bird ID

Northern Saw-whet Owl Range Map

Overview
ID info
Life History
Maps
Sounds

Range Map
Sightings Map

Range Map for Northern Saw-whet Owl

Year-roundBreedingMigrationNonbreeding

Migration

Resident to long-distance migrant. Many individuals migrate south or to lower elevations for the winter, while others stay in one place year-round. About once every 4 years they irrupt, heading south in much higher numbers than usual. They migrate at night, using several known migration routes across the continent, and can cross large expanses of water.

Learn more at Birds of the World

Compare with Similar Species

Click on an image to compare

Eastern Screech-Owl

Western Screech-Owl

Looking for ID Help?

Get Instant ID help for 650+ North American birds.

Try Merlin Bird ID

Species in This Family

Owls(Order: Strigiformes, Family: Strigidae)

Flammulated Owl

Western Screech-Owl

Eastern Screech-Owl

Great Horned Owl

Northern Hawk Owl

Northern Pygmy-Owl

Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl

Short-eared Owl

Northern Saw-whet Owl

Browse Species in This Family

More to Read

NestWatch
Build a Nest Box for Northern Saw-whet Owls
Bird Academy
Peek at Night Birds While Hearing Their Nocturnal Calls
K–12 Education
Dissecting the Food Web: An Owl Pellet Investigation

Living Bird Magazine
Raptors and Rat Poison
Why do hummingbirds fight so much?
Living Bird Magazine
What's That Bird Song? Merlin Bird ID Can Tell You

About Us

Contact Us

© 2023 Cornell University

Need Bird ID Help? Try Merlin

Search for species name or keywords

Or Browse Bird Guide by Family or Shape

Need Bird ID Help? Try Merlin

Don't miss a thing! Join our email list

The Cornell Lab will send you updates about birds,
birding, and opportunities to help bird conservation.