From Owl Research Institute

We've been conducting our fall banding for a little over two weeks now and we've caught 85 Northern Saw- whet Owls!

We take size measurements on all the owls we catch, and these measurements help us to determine whether an owl is likely a male or a female. Did you know female owls are generally bigger than male owls? Most of the birds we capture are females, which is similar to other banding stations across the country. This suggests that females are the more migratory sex, and that males possibly stay closer to their breeding territories instead of flying south for the winter.

Next week we'll share some more information on how we age birds! But take a look at the wing Picture in slide 6 and see if you can guess how old this owl is based on its flight feather pattern. Can you tell if it has new feathers or old feathers or both? Find out next week!