It is one of the few owls that is neither nocturnal nor crepuscular, being active only during the day. However, the male will remain close and will still feed his young on occasion. A medium-sized owl with a broad head, yellow eyes, yellow beak, and a long, tapered tail resembling a hawk. Northern hawk-owls are distributed throughout the boreal forest. The other two subspecies are found in Eurasia: S. u. tianschanica breeds in central Asia reaching Xinjiang (China) and S. u. ulula resides across Eurasia reaching Siberia at its most eastern range. Females are slightly bigger with a length of 37.2–44.7 cm (14.6–17.6 in) and a mass of about 340 g (12 oz). It has little fear of humans, and will attack if the young are approached too closely. Owls can almost turn their heads all the way around, but it's not quite a 360 turn. Check out the works of some of the photographers whose work is featured on our site! Keep Emerald Presence up and Emerald Dream as needed. Northern hawk-owls are unevenly distributed and highly variable throughout the boreal forest. Surnia ulula In the northern forest, a lucky observer may spot this long-tailed owl perched upright at the top of a spruce. The female’s call is usually less constant and more shrill. Male northern hawk-owls are generally 36–42.5 cm (14.2–16.7 in) long and weigh about 300 g (11 oz). This span of time is presumably when the female hunts. Aptly named for their hawk-like appearance, these unique birds are actually owls. For the most part the female northern hawk-owl does the incubating of the eggs whilst the male forages for food. This medium sized owl has an oval shaped body with a long tapered tail and horizontal striping on the chest. The ORI is a non-profit, 501(c) 3, tax-exempt organization. In the winter, feeding strategies change; where in summer the main source of food is mammals, in the winter a bigger portion of the hawk-owl’s biomass consists of ground dwelling birds, such as the ptarmigan and the grouse. Vocalization. The nest sites are usually the tops of hollow stumps of old dead spruce trees. We are funded by individual and non-profit  group donations, grants from foundations and corporations, and occasionally agency contracts. Northern Hawk Owl Life History Habitat. The northern saw-whet owl (Aegolius acadicus) is a small owl native to North America. The northern hawk-owl has a smokey white face with a black border, a flat head, yellow eyes and a yellow curved beak. The northern hawk owl is able to hear prey as much as 12 inches under the snow. The northern hawk-owl has also been known to nest on cliffsides. Once the chicks have hatched their roles shift drastically. Maps provided by The Birds of North America Online and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Learn Northern Hawk-Owl facts for kids. The northern hawk-owl generally starts its mating rituals at the beginning of March. In Eurasia the northern hawk-owl is known to feed primarily on voles from the Microtus family. That next hawk you see gliding over the fields in search of tasty rodents might not be a hawk at all. It is a lovely combination of dark and light, which makes for some striking plumage patterns. Males: back is dark brown with white spotting; chest and belly white with dark barring. Northern Hawk-Owl Conservation status; Least Concern Scientific classification; Kingdom: Animalia: Phylum: Chordata: Class: Aves: Order: Strigiformes: Family: Strigidae: Genus: Surnia Duméril, 1805: Species: S. ulula: Binomial name; Surnia ulula (Linnaeus, 1758) The Northern Hawk-Owl (also known as the Hudsonian owl) is an owl which does not migrate. The northern hawk-owl plumage is relatively dark brown with an off-white spotting pattern on all dorsal parts of the body with the exception of the back of the neck which boasts a black v-shaped pattern. The Northern Hawk-Owl’s flight is low and swift. The female’s call is usually less constant and more shrill.