The Northern Saw-whet Owl is cute. No getting around it. I realize that if it were bigger or I were smaller, this one would have no moral qualms about eating me.
Instead it eats small rodents, and bugs.
They range across North America, but they can be difficult to spot, because they don't move or flush when you approach them. One reason is because they're tiny -- like maybe 7" from tip to tail. Distinguishing marks: yellow eyes with whitish eye patches and beard.
And gosh, they're awfully cute. Owls, in particular, seem to be the polar bears of the bird world: they look all cute and cuddly but they're hunters and they'd rather be left alone to do their thing.
Doodled from Birds of North America.
