Northern Hawk Owl
| Northern hawk-owl | ||||||||||||||
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  Finland, June 2003 | ||||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
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| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||
| Surnia ulula |
The Northern Hawk Owl, Surnia ulula, is a medium sized owl. The term "hawk" refers to its falcon-like wing shape and long tail.
This bird has a rounded head with yellow eyes, dark brown upperparts and barred underparts and tail.
It is found in the boreal forests of North America and Eurasia, usually on the edges of more open woodland. This bird nests in large tree cavities or uses nests abandoned by other large birds.
This is a partially diurnal owl, which hunts voles and birds like thrusheses. It waits on a perch and takes advantage of its rapid flight to overtake prey. This bird has exceptional hearing and can plunge into snow to capture rodents below the surface.
It is not migratory, but occasionally irrupts south of its breeding range.