Tengmalm's Owls aka Boreal Owls
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The Tengmalm's Owl, Aegolius funereus, is a small owl. It is known as the Boreal Owl in North America. This species is a part of the larger grouping of owls known as typical owls, Strigidae, which contains most species of owl. The other grouping is the barn owls, Tytonidae.
Distribution / Range
This bird breeds in dense coniferous forests across northern North America and Eurasia, and in mountain ranges such as the Alps and the Rockies. It lays 3-6 eggs in a tree hole.
This species is not normally migratory, but in some autumns significant numbers move further south. It is rare any great distance south of its breeding range, although this is partly due to the problems of detecting this nocturnal owl outside the breeding season when it is not calling.
Description
The Tengmalm's Owl is 22-27 cm long with a 50-62 cm wingspan. It is brown above, with white flecking on the shoulders. Below it is whitish streaked brown. The head is large, with yellow eyes and a white facial disc, and a "surprised" appearance.
Young birds are chocolate brown.
The flight is strong and direct.
Feeding / Diet
This smallish owl eats mainly voles and other mammals but also birds as well as insects and other invertebrates. It is largely nocturnal, though in the northern most parts of its range, it is forced to hunt during daylight because of the very short nights in summer.
Calls / Vocalizations
The bird's call is similar in sound to the "winnowing" of the North American Wilson's Snipe.
Miscellaneous
This bird is named after the Swedish naturalist Peter Gustaf Tengmalm.
Copyright: Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia.org
Relevant Web Resources: Build a Boreal Owl Nesting Box Instructions
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