Northern Saw-whet Owls in Arkansas: Where are they going?
The Northern Saw-whet Owl (hereafter saw-whet) has an extensive range through most of Canada and the northern U.S., as well as south into the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains (König et al. 1999). Little is known about this secretive species despite its widespread distribution. Its migration through the south-central U.S. has been recently discovered, occurring during late autumn and early winter (Pruitt and Smith 2016). Prior to 2014, saw-whets were considered a rare bird in Arkansas with only 13 previous sightings within the state (James and Neal 1986, Pruitt and Smith 2016, Arkansas Audubon Society Bird Records Database).