The Northern Saw-Whet Owl has a big round head and wide orange eyes and it is one of the much smaller species of owl.
Their wings and their backs are covered in brown feathers of different shades and have similar patterns to each other.
Contrasting this their bellies are bright white. These birds will only nest in dense woodland areas and if they will make their nest in the most mature forest that they can find.
The density of the forest becomes a bigger factor in the winter and breeding seasons, they need much denser woodlands during these times.
Whilst most males are completely monogamous, in seasons of high prey abundance, some males have been known to mate with another individual.
The level of prey abundance is the only thing currently known to affect the levels of monogamy. However, breeding pairs will be formed in each subsequent breeding season as they do not form long term mates.
Because of their small size, these owls are also often preyed on by a variety of larger owl species, including several that we have previously looked at in this article.
These owls can be seen throughout all of Minnesota. They are permanent residents in the northern half of the state whilst they can only be seen in the southern half outside of their breeding season.
The highest number of sightings have been recorded along the western border of the state.