saw-whet owl

noun

ˈsȯ-ˌ(h)wet- How to pronounce saw-whet owl (audio)
: a very small harsh-voiced North American owl (Aegolius acadicus) that is largely dark brown above and chestnut streaked with white beneath

called also saw-whet

Examples of saw-whet owl in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Northern saw-whet owl doesn’t even weigh half a pound and preys on mice. — Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 31 July 2023 The Western saw-whet owl likes a twelve-year-old thicket of fir and ponderosa pine; deer find soft green bites in a four-year-old stand of red cedar and white pine. — The New Yorker, 12 June 2023

Word History

Etymology

from the supposed resemblance of its cry to the sound made in filing a saw

First Known Use

1834, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of saw-whet owl was in 1834

Dictionary Entries Near saw-whet owl

sawway

saw-whet owl

sawwort

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Saw-whet owl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/saw-whet%20owl. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

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