Surnia ulula

Overview

Animal Diversity Web describes a compact owl with dark chocolate-and-white plumage. It has a pale underside barred brown and a black-bordered facial disc. It lacks ear tufts and has feathered legs.

It uses coniferous or mixed forest next to open hunting ground. It hunts from perches, mainly for small mammals and sometimes birds, and prey availability shapes its habitat use.

In southeastern Norway, Nybo and Sonerud (1990) collected pellets from three breeding pairs at roughly six-day intervals and compared them with local vole occurrence. Under full snow cover, bank voles from mature forest predominated. As ground cleared, larger field and root voles from clear-cuts gained importance. This links prey accessibility to seasonal diet in these pairs; it does not show a fixed preference everywhere.

Origins & earliest records

Not established by the sources consulted.

Evidence & interpretation

Institutional account and the indexed abstract of a regional pellet study.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

1. 01

   Seasonal changes in diet of Hawk Owls Surnia ulula: importance of snow cover

   Nybo and Sonerud · 1990

   Selected bibliography; Ornis Fennica 67:45–51.

Family, evolution & connections

Taxonomic classification

A hierarchy of classified groups, not a chain of direct ancestors.

Source note: Family placement follows Animal Diversity Web.

1. familyStrigidae

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

1. Institutional accountHawk owl: ADW accountResearch access: 2026-10-07
2. Scientific article abstractNybo and Sonerud: snow and diet (1990)Research access: 2026-10-07

Image credits

A brown-and-white hawk owl perched among bare branches.

Northern hawk owl at Rockneby, Kalmar, Sweden, January 2013.