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  Profile

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  In flight

Owls

Northern Hawk Owl

Surnia ulula

• legendary
• 92 km/h
• Least Concern

Hunts by day, perches like a falcon, looks like an owl pretending to be neither. Boreal forest specialist.

Population

roughly 100,000–499,999 mature individuals globally, stable (IUCN Red List 2021.3; North American population ~60,000 individuals/~40,000 mature, European ~10,400-53,900 pairs)

Habitat

open boreal coniferous forest (or mixed coniferous/deciduous), muskeg, and recently burned or logged clearings; avoids dense spruce-fir stands

Fun fact

Despite its owl family membership, the Northern Hawk Owl behaves like a diurnal raptor — hunting by day, perching conspicuously atop treetops, and even hovering like a kestrel while scanning for prey.

Range

circumpolar boreal zone (northern Holarctic) across Alaska, Canada (to Newfoundland), Fennoscandia, Siberia, Central Asia, and northern China

Diet

small mammals (especially voles, and snowshoe hares/squirrels in North America), supplemented by birds like grouse and ptarmigan in winter

Size

0.38 m

Wingspan

0.78 m

Lifespan

10 years