Back to Birdhouse Guide
Cavity Nester
Northern Hawk Owl
Surnia ulula
Back to Birdhouse Guide
Surnia ulula
Long-tailed boreal owl that hunts in broad daylight, perching high and conspicuously on the tops of spruce snags. Looks and flies more like an accipiter than a typical owl. The closest thing North America has to a sun-loving owl.
Widespread and abundant; no known immediate threats to the population.
One of the most diurnal owls in the world, actively hunts in full daylight, far more than typical owls.
Long-tailed and conspicuous perching habits make it look more like a Cooper's Hawk than a typical round-headed owl.
Holarctic species, also found across northern Europe and Russia.
Population irruptions occasionally bring Hawk Owls south into the northern US in winters when boreal prey populations crash.
Resident across the boreal forest belt from Alaska east to Newfoundland; occasionally irrupts south in winter.
Year-round across the entire boreal zone.
Occasional winter visitor to Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and northern New England.
This species needs a box larger or differently-shaped than our three standard sizes. We make these as one-off prints to the published nest dimensions, with all the species-specific requirements baked in.
Hunts in daylight more than any other North American owl, flies fast and direct like a hawk.