Northern Hawk Owl
Northern Hawk OwlNorthern Hawk OwlNorthern Hawk OwlNorthern Hawk Owl

Northern Hawk Owl

Surnia ulula

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
20–30% · Possible
overall probability at Wood Buffalo National Park
6 Verified records at Wood Buffalo National Park
January Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

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". Wikipedia →

20–30% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Hawk Owl sighting in Wood Buffalo National Park, based on 6 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Wood Buffalo National Park

Short-eared Owl
LC Endemic

Short-eared Owl

☀️🌙 Day & Night Bird

Asio flammeus

10–20% · With luck
Snowy Owl
VU

Snowy Owl

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Bubo scandiacus

Insufficient data
Boreal Owl
LC

Boreal Owl

☀️🌙 Day & Night Bird

Aegolius funereus

Insufficient data
Great Horned Owl
LC Endemic

Great Horned Owl

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Bubo virginianus

Insufficient data

📅 Monthly Probability

40–50
Jan
10–20
Feb
10–20
Mar
10–20
Apr
5–10
May
20–30
Jun
30–40
Jul
5–10
Aug
5–10
Sep
40–50
Oct
10–20
Nov
20–30
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Kluane National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
30–40%
2 Wood Buffalo National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
20–30%
3 Wrangell-St. Elias National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
4 Denali National Park 🇺🇸 United States
5–10%
5 Banff National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
5–10%
6 Jasper National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
5–10%
7 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
8 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%
9 Gates of the Arctic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
10 Katmai National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
11 Isle Royale National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
12 Białowieża National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Northern Hawk Owl in Wood Buffalo National Park?

About 24% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Hawk Owl sighting in Wood Buffalo National Park, based on 6 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Northern Hawk Owl in Wood Buffalo National Park?

January has the highest sighting rate for Northern Hawk Owl in Wood Buffalo National Park in our monthly data.

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