Publication Date
Fall 2009
School
College of Arts and Sciences
Major
Biology: Environmental Science
Primary Subject Area
Biology, Zoology
Keywords
Saw-whet, owl, Virginia, migration, Northern Saw-whet Owl, migration dynamics, Piedmont, Mountain, Coastal Plain
Disciplines
Other Animal Sciences | Zoology
Recommended Citation
van Althuis, Kyle E., "Migration Dynamics of the Northern Saw-whet Owl in the Piedmont, Mountain, and Coastal Plain Provinces of Virginia" (2009). Senior Honors Theses. 97.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/honors/97
Abstract
The Northern Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus) is a small common owl of which little is known. The saw-whet’s migration dynamics are particularly shrouded in mystery due to the secretive nature of this owl. This study examined data obtained by capturing owls with mist nets in order to better understand volume, timing, sex differences and age differences in migration in the Piedmont province of Virginia for 2002-2007. Comparative owl capture data from two other physiographic regions (Mountain and Coastal Plain) were also examined.
Migration flight volume was highest in the Mountain province and lowest in the Coastal Plain, while movements were earliest in the Mountain province and latest in the Coastal Plain. Females dominated samples, suggesting differential migration between sexes and/or the existence of an audio lure bias. Samples were typically dominated by adult owls except for in 2007, a year characterized as an invasion year.
