The Northern Saw-whet Owl is a pint-sized owl, common in coniferous woods in Vermont, whose main call sounds like a truck backing up in the distance. Some owls live here all year long, while others migrate through on their way south from the boreal forest in the north. This owl is currently being banded across North America.
There are two recognized subspecies: acadicus all over North America, and brooksi, a non-migratory resident on Haida Gwaii.
Birds of the World (Rasmussen, Sealy and Cannings 2020) says:
The appearance of brooksi is very similar to that of A. a. acadicus except that brooksi is smaller (despite having a longer tail) and darker (See Appearance). The white underparts and spots on the remiges and wing coverts of acadicus are infused with buff (Tawny Olive, Smithe 1975-1981) in brooksi.
Pyle (1997) writes:
Plumage reddish or brown, with heavy, pale streaking; juv dark brown.
Of brooksi, he writes:
Plumage dark sooty brown with light, pale streaking; juv sooty blackish.
Range is the easiest distinguishing factor, with Haida Gwaii being a continent away from Vermont.
To date, there are no records of the other subspecies in Vermont. The record listed when this page was created was the first record on eBird of the Mainland Northern Saw-whet Owl in Vermont.
Nomenclature:
Salient identification points:
Example Records:
Local subspecies records:
Needs:
These needs reflect eBird's database, and whether the bird has photos, audio, or sightings in a given area. "None" denotes that this species has been satisfactorily documented.