Surnia ulula
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
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 |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Hawk Owl sighting in Kluane National Park on a given day, based on 24 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 18th most-seen of the 129 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Hawk Owl in Kluane National Park on a given day, against about 10% in March, July and November, the lowest months. That is one of Kluane National Park's driest months, with about 45 mm of rain against 160 mm in October. January has too few records to rate.
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.
Yes
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Northern Hawk Owl sightings, Kluane National Park has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come 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 Kluane National Park (24 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.
