Saw-Whet Owl

We had the pleasure of checking out this spunky little Saw-whet owl.  These are very small owls with big heads and large yellow eyes.  As you can see from these pictures they are personality plus.  This is an adult Saw-whet, but we aren’t sure whether male or female. The owl was hit by a car and a Good Samaritan contacted the Black Hawk Wildlife Rehabilitation Project for help.  A licensed rehabber collected him and brought him to the clinic for a once over.

He was treated for shock, examined head to talon, and lucky little bird—nothing broken!  He will have a little R & R at the rehab facility and then be released back into the wild.  We love happy endings!

Saw-whet owls are common in the northern U.S., but because they are nocturnal and so small, we typically don’t see them.  They are there if you know where to look!  They have an unusual, high pitched “too too too” call that sounds similar to a child playing a recorder or flute.

If you’d like more information on this bird, or any bird, check out the All About Birds website connected to Cornell University’s Lab of Ornithology.  This is a great resource for all you birders out there.

Many thanks to Black Hawk Wildlife and Dr. Cherney for all they do for our wildlife in the Cedar Valley.

If you find injured wildlife, do you know what to do?  Click here for more information.