saw-whet owl

American  

[saw-hwet, -wet] / ˈsɔˌʰwɛt, -ˌwɛt /

noun

1. a very small North American owl, Aegolius acadicus, having streaked, brown plumage and lacking ear tufts.

---

Etymology

Origin of saw-whet owl

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35; allegedly so called because its cry was likened to the noise of a saw being whetted

Example Sentences

Everett, who had just been discharged from the hospital and was learning to self-administer antibiotics intravenously in both arms, said he looked on with “shock and awe” as a peregrine falcon, red-tailed hawk, great horned owl, barn owl and saw-whet owl that he used as “educational animals” in school presentations and to attract donors were taken away.

From Los Angeles Times

Seen here are everyday delights such as chickadees, kinglets and nuthatches, to Cooper’s hawks and even in some years the tiny northern Saw-whet owl, in addition to common barred owls.

From Seattle Times

In a social media post on Tuesday, the Fairfax County Police Department said its animal protection officers rescued a northern saw-whet owl on Nov. 17 in the Oakton area.

From Washington Post

The young, Saw-whet owl was found stuck in the branches of a towering Norway spruce grown in upstate New York and cut as Rockefeller Center’s holiday tree last year.

From Seattle Times

He's concerned about getting a Northern Saw-whet Owl, a tiny denizen of the woods.

From Scientific American