Northern Hawk Owl

 

A bird of boreal forests, the Northern Hawk Owl behaves like a hawk but looks like an owl.

Its oval body, yellow eyes, and round face enclosed by dark parentheses are distinctly owl.

Its long tail and habit of perching atop solitary trees and hunting by daylight, though, are reminiscent of a hawk.

It is a solitary bird that tends to stick to the boreal forest, but some winters it moves south into the northern United States.

Northern Hawk Owls are thought to detect prey primarily by sight. Along with their tendency to hunt in the daytime, their symmetrical ear openings are cited as evidence for daytime hunting—their ears presumably have less acute hearing than the asymmetrical ear openings of species such as Boreal and Great Gray Owls. Cornell All About Birds

My first Northern Hawk Owl observation was on a trip to Ottawa for an owl prowl. As I approached the open quarry where the owl had been seen the owl flew out of the tree cover and landed directly over me. I later learned that photo tour groups had been baiting the owl with mice and for sure, sadly, I had the uneasy feeling that the owl had approached me looking for a handout.