Bird Album
Northern Hawk-Owl
Surnia ulula (Linnaeus, 1758)
35–42 cmLength76 cmWingspan320 gWeight
This long-tailed, hawk-like owl is often active by day as well.
How to identify
Field marks
- Face white with a black border, head round
- Eyes yellow, bill yellow and curved
- Breast and belly whitish with brown barring
- Tail long with brown barring
Male, female and young
Female slightly larger; adult tail feathers have rounded tips, while first-year birds have more pointed tips.
Voice
During courtship, the male gives a rolling “ulululululululul” whistle.
Where and when it's recorded
No records at the public birding hotspots we track. It may be rare, remote, or its locations protected.
About
The northern hawk-owl or northern hawk owl (Surnia ulula), is a medium-sized true owl of the northern latitudes. It is non-migratory and usually stays within its breeding range, though it sometimes irrupts southward. It is one of the few owls that is not strictly nocturnal nor crepuscular, often being active during the day.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Northern Hawk-Owl?
The Northern Hawk-Owl is about 35–42 cm long, with a wingspan of 76 cm and weighs around 320 g.
Where does the Northern Hawk-Owl live?
Its breeding range: North America, Palearctic: northern.
Is the Northern Hawk-Owl endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Northern Hawk-Owl as Least Concern.
What does the Northern Hawk-Owl eat?
Main food: Vertebrate prey.
What family is the Northern Hawk-Owl in?
It belongs to the family Owls (Strigidae), order Strigiformes.
At a glance
- Length
- 35–42 cm
- Wingspan
- 76 cm
- Weight
- 320 g
- Habitat
- Grassland
- Diet
- Vertebrate prey
- Lifestyle
- Perches in trees
- Migration
- Partial migrant
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 231 mm
- Tail
- 186 mm
- Bill
- 23 mm
- Tarsus
- 27 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
North America, Palearctic: northern
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Subspecies · 1
- Surnia ulula tianschanica c Asia to n China and n Mongolia
Classification
- Order
- Strigiformes
- Family
- Owls Strigidae
- Genus
- Surnia
More from the family Owls
Papuan Hawk-OwlUroglaux dimorpha
Rufous OwlNinox rufa
Powerful OwlNinox strenua
Barking OwlNinox connivens
Sumba BoobookNinox rudolfi
Australian BoobookNinox boobook
Rote BoobookNinox rotiensis
Timor BoobookNinox fusca
Alor BoobookNinox plesseni
Tasmanian BoobookNinox leucopsis
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Michael Gallo. ↗
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