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Boreal Owl

Boreal Owl

Aegolius funereus

Range & Recent Observations

Boreal Owlis a year-round resident and doesn't follow a migration flyway. See the Range tab for where it lives.

Last Spotted Near You

View on eBirdWikipedia

About the Boreal Owl

The boreal owl or Tengmalm's owl (Aegolius funereus) is a small owl in the "true owl" family Strigidae. It is known as the boreal owl or, more rarely, Richardson's owl after Sir John Richardson, in North America, and as Tengmalm's owl in Europe and Asia, after the Swedish naturalist Peter Gustaf Tengmalm. Due to its nocturnal habits and preferred inaccessible taiga forest habitat, it is rarely seen by humans; when met with, it is often extremely confiding, showing little or no fear of people, and only flying off if approached to within 3–5 metres.

Source: Wikipedia

Classification

Scientific name
Aegolius funereus
Family
Owls
Order
Strigiformes

Similar species

Other members of the owls family recorded in North America — a useful place to start if you are not certain of your identification.

  • Balsas Screech-Owl Megascops seductus
  • Barred Owl Strix varia
  • Bearded Screech-Owl Megascops barbarus
  • Black-and-white Owl Strix nigrolineata
  • Burrowing Owl Athene cunicularia
  • Central American Pygmy-Owl Glaucidium griseiceps
  • Cinereous Owl Strix sartorii
  • Colima Pygmy-Owl Glaucidium palmarum
  • Crested Owl Lophostrix cristata
  • Eastern Screech-Owl Megascops asio
  • Elf Owl Micrathene whitneyi
  • Eurasian Eagle-Owl Bubo bubo

Know when the Boreal Owl turns up near you

Add it to your watchlist and draw an alert zone around the places you actually bird. Birdr checks eBird reports and tells you when one is seen inside it.

How rare bird alerts work →

Gear for spotting Boreal Owl

Optics

Best Binoculars for Beginners

You don't need to spend a fortune. These four pairs will get you birding confidently on day one.

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Cameras

Cameras for Bird Photography

From phone adapters to dedicated rigs, here's what actually works for capturing birds in the field.

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Optics

Spotting Scopes for Distance Birding

Essential for shorebirds, raptors, and anything too far for binoculars. Our tested picks.

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