Wherever
it goes as part of the education program, CWC's non-releasable saw-whet owl
is always an impressive character. When we think of owls, we often think of
birds that are about the size of a house cat, so to see a miniature version
sometimes causes a double-take.
When this saw-whet owl first came to CWC as a patient, its wing was so badly damaged that it had to be amputated. Of course, with only one wing it will never be able to survive in the wild, but it has become a wonderful educational asset to the program.
The Saw-whet (Aegolius acadicus) is a small owl, about 7 to 8-1/2 inches (18 to 22 centimeters) from beak to tail. Its voice is a series of low whistled notes on one pitch, or an upslurred whistle.
It lives
in coniferous or deciduous woods, bogs, alder thickets, and even drier ponderosa
pine stands from southeastern Alaska and southern Canada to the Atlantic and
in the West, south to Mexico. It hunts at night for rodents and large beetles.
Copyright © 1999 Chintimini Wildlife
Rehabilitation Center