









About the Unspotted Saw-whet Owl
The unspotted saw-whet owl is a small "typical owl" in subfamily Surniinae. It is native to mountainous areas of Central America.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
The unspotted saw-whet owl is 18 to 21.5 cm (7.1 to 8.5 in) long and weighs about 80 to 90 g (2.8 to 3.2 oz). Its upperparts, throat, and upper breast are plain sepia brown and the lower breast and belly plain cinnamon buff. The tail is a darker brown and the wings generally a grayer brown. Its facial disk is brown with a narrow white border; the lores, chin, and "eyebrows" are whitish. It has yellow eyes. The two putative subspecies other than the nominate differ only slightly from it. Voice: The male unspotted saw-whet owl's territorial call is "a whistled hoo hoo hoo…" given about 10 times over three to five seconds. Females give "a hight, slightly hissing ssirr". Both sexes give "a surprisingly loud shriek and a shrill short chipper". The call of tree frogs of genus Anotheca is extremely similar to the owl's song and easily confused with it.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Honduras.
When to see it
Peak activity in December · a resident species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Buff-fronted OwlAegolius harrisiiThe buff-fronted owl is 19 to 21 cm (7.5 to 8.3 in) long and weighs 104 to 155 g (3.7 to 5.5 oz).
Northern Saw-whet OwlAegolius acadicusAdults are 17–22 cm (6.7–8.7 in) long with a 42–56.3 cm (16.5–22.2 in) wingspan.
Boreal OwlAegolius funereusThe boreal owl is small with a large head and long wings.
Learn the Unspotted Saw-whet Owl for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
Play BeakBrainEvery photo and recording on this page is credited to its author under the licence shown. Spotted a problem with this page, or have a better photo? Contribute.