Our Smallest Raptor: The Northern Saw-whet Owl

With a size comparable to a soda can, the Northern Saw-whet Owl is the smallest raptor in eastern North America. Due to the secretive nature of this species, it wasn’t until the 1960s that its migratory behavior was widely accepted. Much of what we know about this species today is thanks to extensive banding efforts. 

Project Owlnet is one effort striving to better understand this elusive migrant through a growing network of banding stations using standardized methods across North America. While our knowledge of this species has grown, many mysteries remain. Zoe Korpi delves into the research unraveling the secrets of these owls and speaks on her own experience with these birds at banding stations in Pennsylvania and Maine.

This program is being hosted by Wells Reserve partner York County Audubon.

About the Presenter

Zoe Korpi is a graduate student pursuing her master’s degree in the Environment and Natural Resources program at The Ohio State University with a focus in wildlife science. She holds a Bachelor’s of Science in biology from The Pennsylvania State University and started her work with Project Owlnet and Northern Saw-whet Owls during her time at Penn State as an intern and then as a volunteer and bander through the years. Zoe has a strong interest in understanding how human activities impact and threaten the survival of bird species and how those threats can be mitigated. Her current research focuses on understanding the lake crossing behavior of small migratory songbirds using the Motus Wildlife Tracking System to evaluate the potential impact of offshore wind energy on their movements across Lake Erie.