Boreal Owl (Aegolius funereus)

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A Field Guide to Eastern Birds. by Roger Tory Peterson.

Return to Eastern Owls

Color Photograph: U.S. Forest Service

Boreal Owl (Aegolius funereus)

Identification: Length from tip of bill to tip of tail 10 to 12 inches. A small, reddish-brown owl. Crown of head brown, speckled with white. Face disks well separated, gray-white, margined with black. Bill yellow. Head without ear-like tufts of feathers. Back rusty-brown with white spots. Underside white, with vertical, rusty-brown streaks. Tail short and and stubby.

Similar Species:  The Northern Saw-whet Owl is a little smaller than the Boreal Owl, the beak is dark, not yellow, and the crown of the head is streaked not spotted. The face disks are more circular than the elongate, ovate face disks of the Boreal Owl. The Northern Hawk Owl is a larger bird, darker brown, and has a long, hawk-like tail. The undersides are striped horizontally, not vertically.

Breeding Range (see map below): The Boreal Owl is a rare species resident in a band across Canada roughly equivalent to the northern Boreal Forest. The species as breeds southward in the Rocky Mountains of the United States. The species is also found in Europe and northern Asia.

Overwintering Range:  This species overwinters south of its resident range to a line approximating the northern border of the United States.

Habitat: The Boreal Owl is found in northern boreal forest.

Food: Small mammals and some birds.

Behavior: A secretive, nocturnal owl. The day is spent hiding in the dense foliage of spruce and pine trees or in a tree hollow. The voice is a fast series of whistles.

Reproduction: The clutch consists of 4 to 6 white eggs. The eggs are placed in a tree hole or in an abandoned bird nest.