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  In flight

Owls

Tengmalm's Owl

Aegolius funereus

• common
• 28 km/h
• Starter
• Least Concern

Tiny boreal owl with a square head and shocked yellow eyes. Lives where the spruces never end.

Population

roughly 730,000–1,810,000 mature individuals globally

Habitat

dense boreal/subalpine coniferous and mixed old-growth forest

Fun fact

Tengmalm's Owl has asymmetrically placed ear openings (one skull opening set higher than the other), giving it such precise 3-D sound localization that it can pinpoint and catch rodents moving beneath snow or dense ground cover purely by hearing.

Range

circumpolar boreal zone across northern North America, Scandinavia, and the Palearctic (including montane forests of the Alps and Rockies)

Diet

small mammals (especially voles), with mice, shrews, small birds, and insects taken opportunistically

Size

0.25 m

Wingspan

0.57 m

Lifespan

16 years