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Home/Species/ Northern Hawk Owl

Surnia ulula

(Linnaeus, 1758)

Northern Hawk Owl

G5Secure Found in 16 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.103144
Element CodeABNSB07010
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
CITESAppendix II
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderStrigiformes
FamilyStrigidae
GenusSurnia
Other Common Names
Chouette épervière (FR) northern hawk owl (EN)
Concept Reference
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in The Auk]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2016-04-10
Change Date1996-11-27
Range Extent Comments
BREEDS: from limit of trees in western and central Alaska to southern Keewatin and Labrador, south to southern British Columbia, central Saskatchewan, northern Minnesota, northern Michigan, and New Brunswick. WINTERS: mainly in breeding range, makes irregular invasions of northern coterminous U.S. Also occurs in Old World.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Open coniferous or mixed forest, forest edge and clearings, old deciduous forest burns, dense shrubby areas (especially tamarack), swamps, scrubby second-growth woodland and muskeg (AOU 1983).

Nests in hollow tops of dead spruces, birches, natural tree hollows, abandoned woodpecker holes, deserted nests of crows and birds of prey (Terres 1980).

Ecology

Tends to occur in greatest numbers in areas with temporarily high prey populations; may move long distances in response to changes in prey abundance. Population density generally is low (e.g., 4 pairs in 200 sq km in Norway; 1 pair per 500 sq km in Sweden) (Johnsgard 1988); maximum of 3 nests per 100 sq km in southwestern Yukon, Canada (Rohner et al. 1995). Home ranges in Europe ranged from 140 to 848 hectares, average 372 hectares (Baekken et al. 1987).

Reproduction

Egg dates: late April to mid-June in Alaska and arctic Canada; April-early June in Alberta. Clutch size is up to 13 (mean brood size was 6.3 in Fennoscandia, 3.7 in Yukon, 5.5 in Alaska). Incubation lasts about 25-30 days, by female. Both parents tend young, which fledge in 25-35 days, independent in about 3 months.
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest - HardwoodForest - ConiferForest - MixedWoodland - HardwoodWoodland - ConiferWoodland - Mixed
Palustrine Habitats
FORESTED WETLANDBog/fenRiparian
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
MichiganSNRNYes
AlaskaS5Yes
MontanaS3Yes
MaineS2NYes
North DakotaSNAYes
MinnesotaSNRNYes
New YorkSNRNYes
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
QuebecS4Yes
ManitobaS3Yes
SaskatchewanS3B,S5NYes
LabradorS4Yes
British ColumbiaS4Yes
OntarioS4Yes
Northwest TerritoriesS5Yes
NunavutSUYes
AlbertaS5Yes
Yukon TerritoryS4Yes
Island of NewfoundlandS3Yes
Roadless Areas (16)
Alaska (3)
AreaForestAcres
College FiordChugach National Forest1,130,818
Freshwater BayTongass National Forest44,933
Game CreekTongass National Forest54,469
Michigan (1)
AreaForestAcres
FibreHiawatha National Forest7,432
Montana (7)
AreaForestAcres
Bear - Marshall - Scapegoat - SwanLewis and Clark National Forest344,022
Bear - Marshall - Scapegoat - SwanLolo National Forest118,485
Cattle GulchBeaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest19,390
East PioneerBeaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest145,082
Marston Face # 172Kootenai National Forest9,098
Thompson Seton #483Kootenai National Forest29,379
West PioneerBeaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest248,631
Washington (5)
AreaForestAcres
ChelanWenatchee National Forest74,650
Granite MountainOkanogan National Forest27,428
Liberty BellOkanogan National Forest108,495
Pasayten RimOkanogan National Forest17,074
SawtoothOkanogan National Forest122,194
References (28)
  1. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1983. Check-list of North American Birds, 6th edition. Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, Kansas. 877 pp.
  2. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in <i>The Auk</i>]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
  3. Baekken, B. T., J. O. Nybo, and G. A. Sonerud. 1987. Home range size of Hawk Owls: dependence on calculation method, number of tracking days, and number of plotted perches. Pp. 145-148 IN Nero, R.W., R. J. Clark, R. J. Knapton, and H. Hamre, eds. Biology and conservation of northern forest owls. USDA For. Serv. Gen. Tech. Rep. RM-142, USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO.
  4. Bent, A. C. 1938. Life histories of North American birds of prey. Part 2. U.S. Nat. Mus. Bull. 170. 482 pp., 92 pls.
  5. Byrd, C. L. 1982. Home range, habitat and prey utilization of the barn owl in south Texas. Texas A and I University, Kingsville, Texas. M.S. thesis. 64 pp.
  6. Byrd, M. A., and D. W. Johnston. 1991. Birds. Pages 477-537 in K. Terwilliger, coordinator. Virginia's endangered species: proceedings of a symposium. McDonald and Woodward Publ. Co., Blacksburg, Virginia.
  7. Clark, R. J., D. G. Smith, and L. H. Kelso. 1978. Working bibliography of owls of the world. National Wildlife Federation, Sci. & Tech. Ser. No. 1. 336 pp.
  8. Colvin, B. A. 1984. Barn owl foraging behavior and secondary poisoning hazard from rodenticide use on farms. Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio. 326 pp. Ph.D. dissertation.
  9. Craighead, J. J., and F. C. Craighead, Jr. 1956. Hawks, Owls and Wildlife. The Stackpole Company, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and the Wildlife Management Institute, Washington, D.C.
  10. Eckert, Allan W. 1978. The Owls of North America. Weather-vane Books, New York. 278 pp.
  11. Elody, B. I., and N. F. Sloan. 1985. Movements and habitat use of Barred Owls in the Huron Mountains of Marquette County, Michigan, as determined by radiotelemetry. Jack Pine Warbler 63:3-8.
  12. Fisher, A.K. 1893. The hawks and owls of the United States in their relation to agriculture. Washington U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Bull. no. 6. 210 pp.
  13. Harrison, C. 1978. A Field Guide to the Nests, Eggs and Nestlings of North American Birds. Collins, Cleveland, Ohio.
  14. Hegdal, P. L., and R. W. Blaskiewicz. 1984. Evaluation of the potential hazard to barn owl of Talon (<i>Brodifacoum</i> bait) used to control rats and house mice. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 3:167-79.
  15. Johnsgard, P. 1988. North American owls: biology and natural history. Smithsonian Inst. Press. 336 pp.
  16. Kirk, D. A., D. Hussell, and E. Dunn. 1995. Raptor population status and trends in Canada. Bird Trends (Canadian Wildlife Service) 4:2-9.
  17. Mazur, K. M., S. D. Frith, and P. C. James. 1998. Barred Owl home range and habitat selection in the boreal forest of central Saskatchewan. Auk 115:746-754.
  18. National Geographic Society (NGS). 1983. Field guide to the birds of North America. National Geographic Society, Washington, DC.
  19. Nicholls, T. H., and M. R. Fuller. 1987. Owl telemetry techniques. Pages 294-301 IN R.W. Nero, R.J. Clark, R.J. Knapton, and R.H. Hamre, editors. Biology and conservation of northern forest owls. USDA Forest Service, Gen. Tech. Rep. RM-142.
  20. Pendleton, B. A. G., B. A. Millsap, K. W. Cline, and D. M. Bird. 1987. Raptor management techniques manual. National Wildlife Federation, Sci. and Tech. Ser. No. 10. 420 pp.
  21. Rohner, C. 1997. Non-territorial 'floaters' in Great Horned Owls: space use during a cyclic peak of snowshoe hares. Animal Behaviour 53:901-912.
  22. Rohner, C., J. N. M. Smith, J. Stroman, M. Joyce, F. I. Doyle, and R. Boonstra. 1995. Northern hawk-owls in the Nearctic boreal forest: prey selection and population consequences of multiple prey cycles. Condor 97:208-220.
  23. Rosenburg, C. P. 1986. Barn owl habitat and prey use in agricultural eastern Virginia. College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia. M.S. thesis. 114 pp.
  24. Smith, D. G. 1969. Nesting ecology of the Great Horned Owl, <i>Bubo virginianus</i>. Brigham Young University Science Bulletin Biol. Series 10(4):16-25.
  25. Smith, D.G. 1987b. Owl census techniques. Pages 304-307 in R.W. Nero, R.J. Clark, R.J. Knapton, and R.H. Hamre, editors. Biology and conservation of northern forest owls. USDA Forest Service, Gen. Tech. Rep. RM-142.
  26. Terres, J. K. 1980. The Audubon Society encyclopedia of North American birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
  27. Voous, K. H., and A. Cameron. 1989. Owls of the Northern Hemisphere. MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts. 320 pp.
  28. Winter, J. 1982. Further investigations on the ecology of the great gray owl in the central Sierra Nevada. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Stanislaus National Forest, Sonora, CA. Final Report. Contract No. 43-2348. 35pp.