Documenting Northern Saw-whet Owls Breeding in Mixed-deciduous Forest

Joseph M. Elias^1,*, Erin Kibelstis¹, Tony DeSantis², Robert Smith³, and Clay E. Corbin¹

¹Department of Biology, Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania, Bloomsburg, PA 17815. ²DCNR Lackawanna State Park, Lackawanna County, PA 18414. ³Department of Biology, University of Scranton, Scranton, PA 18510. *Corresponding author.

Northeastern Naturalist, Volume 31, Issue 1 (2024): 1–12

First published early online: 7 February 2024

Abstract
Aegolius acadicus (Northern Saw-whet Owl) is an ecologically important, nocturnal, cryptic species that utilizes forests in Pennsylvania for stopover habitat, wintering, and breeding. The extent to which this species nests in the mixed-deciduous forests of northeastern Pennsylvania is uncertain. We used autonomous recording units (ARUs) and audio playbacks throughout Lackawanna State Park (LSP), PA, from mid-January through late March 2022 to assess potential breeding chronology and habitat-use patterns. Saw-whet Owls vocalized at 60% of ARU stations, and playback surveys produced an additional 2 acoustic detections. Incidental observations detected 2 fledglings in the park. Using ARU surveys, we documented their breeding chronology and found a positive association between vocalization rates and canopy cover. Our results suggest that Saw-whet Owls are nesting in the mixed-deciduous forest within LSP.

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