Surnia ulula
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The northern hawk-owl or northern hawk owl (Surnia ulula), is a medium-sized true owl of the northern latitudes. It is non-migratory and usually stays within its breeding range, though it sometimes irrupts southward. It is one of the few owls that is not strictly nocturnal nor crepuscular, often being active during the day. This is the only living species in the genus Surnia of the family Strigidae, the "typical" owls (as opposed to barn owls, Tytonidae). The species is sometimes called simply the hawk owl; however, many species of owls in the genus Ninox are also called "hawk owls".
The northern hawk-owl was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Strix ulula. The owl is now the only species placed in the genus Surnia that was introduced in 1805 by André Duméril. The type species was designated by George Robert Gray in 1840 as the northern hawk-owl. The genus name is of unknown etymology and may simply have been invented by Duméril. The specific epithet ulula is Latin for a "screech owl".
A molecular phylogenetic study of the owls published in 2019 found that the northern... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kluane National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Wood Buffalo National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Denali National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Jasper National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dresden Zoo | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Planckendael Zoo | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 3 | Ranua Wildlife Park | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 4 | Parc animalier de Sainte-Croix | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 5 | Wildgehege Hellenthal | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 6 | Lüneburg Heath Wildlife Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 7 | Zoo Opole | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 8 | Five Sisters Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 9 | Faunistic Park Cappeller | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 10 | Small Breeds Farm Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 11 | Liberty's Owl, Raptor and Reptile Centre | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 12 | Eureka Orchideeën en Vogelbush | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 13 | Järvzoo | 🇸🇪 Sweden | |
| 14 | Cascades Raptor Center | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Hawk Owl sighting in Banff National Park on a given day, based on 22 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 71st most-seen of the 191 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November to February
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Hawk Owl in Banff National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April–June and August, the lowest months.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Northern Hawk Owl sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Northern Hawk Owl sightings, Banff National Park ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Kluane National Park (Canada, about 30%), Wood Buffalo National Park (Canada, about 20%) and Denali National Park (United States, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Northern Hawk Owl is recorded against all the birds logged in Banff National Park (22 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
