According to a legend of the Montagnais Indians this was once the largest Owl and so proud of its booming voice that it tried to subdue the waterfall's roar by a louder imitation of its noise. This impertinence so angered the Great Spirit that he transformed the huge bird into a pygmy and changed its notes into a feeble imitation of slow-dripping water.
Sunlight blinds them so completely that many have been captured by simply hand-picking them off the perch.
Northern North America; south in winter to central United States.