Northern Saw-whet Owl Sounds

Overview
ID info
Life History
Maps
Sounds

Song
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California, February 09, 1989Recorded by Thomas G. Sander / Macaulay Library
Song
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California, February 11, 1989Recorded by Thomas G. Sander / Macaulay Library
Song
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New York, January 16, 2014Recorded by Bob McGuire / Macaulay Library
Calls
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PennsylvaniaRecorded by Scott Weidensaul
Calls
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Massachusetts, December 20, 2016Recorded by Anonymous / Macaulay Library
Calls
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California, November 03, 2017Recorded by Lance Benner / Macaulay Library
Calls
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Massachusetts, February 06, 2019Recorded by Anonymous / Macaulay Library
Juvenile calls
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Washington, June 24, 2019Recorded by Michael Woodruff / Macaulay Library

Sounds provided by Macaulay Library.
Listen to more sounds of this species from the ML archive.

Songs

Northern Saw-whet Owls have a distinctive too-too-too song, an insistent series of whistled notes on roughly the same pitch, given at a rate of about 2 notes per second. Males calling to advertise their territory can be heard up to half a mile away. Other males respond with a softer, faster, lower version of the song. Females also use a version of the song during courtship.