Visual Search | Wizard | Browse
Bird name:
Home| Search| Browser| Expert| Forum| Store| My WhatBird| Help| Site Map

Boreal Owl

Aegolius funereusOrder: STRIGIFORMES Family: True Owls (Strigidae)
Codes: Common Name: BOOW Scientific Name: AEGFUN ITIS Taxonomic No.: 177938
Boreal Owl Head Illustration

Head

Topo Map: Owl-like Head
  • Bill Shape: Hooked
  • Eye Color: Grayish yellow in hatchlings, turning light blue, eventually becoming bright sulfur-yellow in adults.
  • Head Pattern: Spotted, Special (unique patterns or features)
  • Crown Color: Flat black crown with white spotting.
  • Forehead Color: Black with white spots and fluffy white eyebrows and "moustache". White facial disk rimmed in black.
  • Nape Color: Black with white spotting.
  • Throat Color: Black with white spotting.
  • Cere color: Yellow
Splitbar

Recommended Products:

Jelly Jar Jelly Feeder
The orange "blossum" replaces the lid of a jelly jar.
Attract Orioles with Fruit
Sliced orange secures easily to the center of the ring. Low cost.
Attract with Nectar
Hex shaped nectar feeds several Orioles. Nectar kept in fridge.
Charm and Attraction
Lovely copper umbrella keeps fruit cool and looks great.
Boreal Owl Body Illustration

Body

Topo Map: Owl-like Body
  • Length Range: 23-25 cm (9-10 in)
  • Weight: 102 g (3.6 oz)
  • Size: Size 3. Medium (9 - 16 in)
  • Color: White, Brown, Gray
  • Underparts: White washed with buff-white; belly with thick, vertical brown streaks.
  • Upperparts: Dark brown with white spotting.
  • Back Pattern: Spotted or speckled, Mottled
  • Belly Pattern: Spotted or speckled, Striped or streaked
  • Breast Pattern: Spotted or speckled, Striped or streaked

Flight

Topo Map: Owl-like Flight
  • Flight Pattern: Short flights., Rapidly beating wings.
  • Wingspan Range: 51-66 cm (20-26 in)
  • Wing Shape: Broad-Wings, Long-Wings
  • Tail Shape: Rounded Tail
  • Tail Pattern: Dark Brown
  • Upper Tail: Dark brown with white spotting.
  • Under Tail: White
  • Leg Color: Feathered in White washed with yellow-brown.y white.
.
Family True Owl (Strigidae)_blue
Species Aegolius funereus
Length9 - 10 Inches
Wingspan23 Inches

Boreal Owl

Boreal Owl: Medium owl, white-spotted, brown upperparts and thick brown-streaked, white underparts. Head is black with numerous small white spots, facial disks bordered with black, eyes are yellow-orange. Short flights have rapid wingbeats, longer ones are bouyant with shallow, silent wing beats.

● Song: "ting, ting, ting, ting"

● Foraging & Feeding: Boreal Owl: Prey consists mainly of voles, lemmings, shrews, mice, and moles; occasionally takes small birds, squirrels, bats, frogs, and large beetles; hunts from low branch or tree trunk.

● Breeding & nesting: Boreal Owl: Two to six white eggs are laid in an old woodpecker hole or natural tree cavity; sometimes nests in artificial boxes. Incubation ranges from 28 to 29 days and is carried out by the female; male brings her food while on the nest.

● Similar species: Boreal Owl: Saw-whet Owl is smaller, has black bill and red-brown on facial disk.

Flight Pattern

Short flights., Rapidly beating wings.
Boreal Owl Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Boreal Owl: Occurs in most of northern Canada and the Rocky mountains down to New Mexico. Preferred habitats include old-growth forests with woodpecker cavities for nesting.
BreedingPolygamous
PopulationYes but uncommon
MigrationIrregular
Weight3.6 Ounces
Owl-like HeadX
Owl-like BodyX
Owl-like FlightX
4 and 6 letter alpha codesX

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Read more...
ITIS CodesX

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990�s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html. You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.

Read more...
Parts of a Standing birdX
Head Feathers and MarkingsX
Parts of a Flying birdX