Fourth smallest owl species in Montana
These little owls can often be confused with Northern Saw-whet owls due to their similar appearance. They do, however, have a different song that can help to ID them properly.
Their songs are a rapid series of short high-pitched “hoo”s in a trill (about 8–10 “hoo”s in two seconds) that will get louder over time. In late winter and early spring the males will call for 20 minutes to up to 3 hours! The female’s song will mirror the male’s but they do not sing frequently.
The males, females and juveniles all may give a quick chirp or “kew” sound year-round. The Boreal owls in North America (“Richardson’s owl”) can contain more notes and be slightly slower than those in Europe (“Tengmalm’s owl”).
