Many people have been kept awake at night by a strange snoring or raspy sound coming from outside. This unusual noise often causes confusion, as it doesn’t sound like most birds typically heard during the day. However, there is one bird that is known for its snoring-like calls at night – the Northern Saw-whet Owl.
What is the Northern Saw-whet Owl?
The Northern Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus) is a small owl found in forests across North America. It gets its name from the repetitive, raspy calls it makes at night which resemble the sounds of whetting or sharpening saws.
Some key facts about the Northern Saw-whet Owl:
- Length ranges from 16 to 22 cm, with a wingspan of 36 to 43 cm
- Weighs between 75 and 95 grams
- Reddish-brown feathers with white underparts and white facial disk
- Nocturnal and roosts in conifers during the day
- Hunts small mammals, insects, and birds
The Northern Saw-whet Owl can be difficult to spot due to its camouflaged plumage and strictly nocturnal habits. During the day, it roosts on tree branches close to the trunk and can be nearly impossible to see. However, its nighttime breeding calls reveal its presence.
What does the Northern Saw-whet Owl’s call sound like?
The Northern Saw-whet Owl’s typical call is a monotonous, raspy series of short whistling notes. This repetitive call has been likened to the sound of whetting or sharpening saws, hence the owl’s common name.
The calls are made by males during the breeding season to advertise their territory and attract a mate. Both males and female Northern Saw-whet Owls may use the call year-round as contact calls to communicate with their mate or offspring.
To human ears, the owls’ calls create an eerie, snoring effect. The calls can also sound like high-pitched beeping or a bouncing ping-pong ball. The calls are produced at a frequency of about 420 Hz and can continue uninterrupted for several minutes.
Below is an audio clip of the Northern Saw-whet Owl’s raspy, snoring call:
When and where does the Northern Saw-whet Owl make its snoring call?
The Northern Saw-whet Owl’s snoring breeding calls are most frequently heard between February and July during their nesting season. The calls are used primarily by unpaired males looking for a mate.
Mated pairs may also call to each other to communicate their location and defend their nesting territory. These contact calls can occur year-round. Calls are most often heard at night between dusk and dawn.
The owls reside in forested areas and woodlands across much of North America. Their range extends from Alaska across Canada to the Eastern United States. They are also found in some mountainous regions of Mexico.
Within their forest habitat, Northern Saw-whet Owls often roost and nest in dense evergreen trees like pine, spruce, and fir. Their nests are typically in the cavities of broken tree branches 10 to 20 feet above the ground.
Why does the Northern Saw-whet Owl make this unusual call?
The Northern Saw-whet Owl makes its raspy, snoring call for the primary purpose of attracting a mate during breeding season. Unmated males will call persistently to declare their territory and availability to females.
Making loud, repetitive calls allows the small owl to be heard by potential mates over a large area, even when they are out of sight. It is easier for the owl to vocalize to attract a hidden mate than search a wide area.
The saw-like quality to their call carries well through the dense trees. The frequency and repetition help the sound stand out to female Northern Saw-whet Owls amidst other nighttime forest sounds.
Contact calls between mated owls likely help them keep track of each other’s location when roosting or hunting on the wing at night. The snoring calls act like a homing beacon between paired owls.
How can you tell the Northern Saw-whet Owl call apart from other owl calls?
Distinguishing between owl calls takes some practice. Here are some tips for identifying the Northern Saw-whet Owl based on its distinctive snoring, raspy call:
- Repetitive and mechanical-sounding, like a pinging spring or whetting saw blade.
- Very rapid pace, with 30 to 150 calls per minute.
- Each short call lasts just 0.2 to 0.4 seconds.
- High-pitched tone, yet hoarse or harsh quality.
- Very consistent and unchanging over many minutes.
- Can sound like high-pitched beeping or a bouncing ping-pong ball.
In contrast, calls of Great Horned Owls and Barred Owls have more variation and a smooth, booming quality. Boreal Owl calls are similar but less repetitive. Eastern Screech Owls produce a haunting, descending whinny. Saw-whet Owls lack the longer, wavering calls of these other species.
With practice, birders can learn to identify the Northern Saw-whet Owl by its distinctive, rhythmic, and grating snoring song in the dark forest.
How to attract the Northern Saw-whet Owl
The Northern Saw-whet Owl is notoriously difficult to spot due to its strictly nocturnal habits and excellent camouflage. However, bird enthusiasts can increase their chances of detecting the birds by understanding their habitat and calling patterns. Here are some tips to attract them:
- Set up an owl call playback system to trigger responses from nearby owls.
- Concentrate efforts in dense coniferous or mixed forests with good small mammal populations.
- Target searches in late winter and early spring during peak breeding season.
- Listen for responses 30 minutes before dawn when males actively call.
- Search cavities and tree branches around evergreens for roosting owls.
- Use spotlights to scan treetops for reflections from owls’ eyes.
With persistence and the right habitat, birders have the best chance of detecting the Northern Saw-whet Owl by provoking and listening for their unique snoring calls in the night.
Conclusion
The Northern Saw-whet Owl may seem like a mystery to those hearing its strange, raspy call penetrating the night woods. But this diminutive owl plays an important role in controlling rodent populations in its forest habitat.
Its snoring mating call, produced primarily by males in search of a mate, is a distinctive sound that has earned the owl its evocative common name. By understanding when and why the Northern Saw-whet Owl makes this unusual vocalization, we gain insight into its obscure nocturnal world.
So next time you are camping or hiking and hear a distant, rhythmic sawing or pinging sound at dusk, you can confidently deduce that it is the squeaky “snoring” of the Northern Saw-whet Owl!
