From Iowa Raptor Project
Look whoo’s migrating through? Here is the first Northern Saw-whet Owl that we’ve banded this fall on 10/19. (We heard our first one on 10/16.) This bird was a female that hatched this year.
Want to get a first-hand experience into our research on this rarely encountered lowa owl? Come join us! There are 5 spots open for Halloween night and 3 spots open for 11/7.
Anyone who wants the opportunity to handle a Saw Whet, here’s your chance!
These and burrowing owls are my favorite. Something about being so small and cute and so murderous is compelling. Also why I love kestrels.
Yes, it seems like something that small and cute (to us) shouldn’t be so dangerous to many other living creatures!
I see a lot of kestrels in my visits to other facilities and demos and they are beautiful as well. I’ve been wanting to expand out to getting the rest of my raptor knowledge up there with where it is for owls. I’ve really had a great time working with the Redtails, Coopers, and Broadwings I’ve taken care of.
Cutie
They are so superbly adorable 🥰
I often forget how small some of these dudes are.
And the Elf Owl is even smaller! 😮
Those big pupils make it look like a cartoon come to life.
They’ve got the same eyes as every other owl, but they do always feel so much funnier on that tiny face! I have no clue what it is, but some days I’d swear their faces are even more expensive than the much loved Snowy!
They tend to have much more noticeable variations in facial features, which may help out in that regard.
❤️ If I lived in Iowa, I might take them up on this!
Are Saw Whet females bigger than males like some other owl species? Or are they about the same size?
I went to one banding event here, but I think it was late in the season and they didn’t catch anything. It was more a family event though and they had ambassador animals there for us at least, and s’mores!
Yup, there is still the typical sexual dimorphism in size. Males are around 75g and females 100g. That matches the typical 20ish percent difference among most raptor species.
