Hawk owl
Surnia ulula
L 14″ W 33″
Habitat: The hawk owl inhabits much of the northern poplar, spruce, pine, birch, tamarac, and willow forests where such forests are broken by small prairie burns and bogs (Henderson 1919).
Nest: Hawk owls usually nest in natural cavities or in enlarged holes of pileated woodpeckers and flickers. Nests have been reported in birch, spruce, tamarac, poplar snags (Henderson 1919, 1925, Bent 1938), and occasionally on cliffs or in crow’s nests.
Food: This owl hunts extensively during the day and feeds on small mammals, birds, and insects (Bent 1938). Mendall (1944) examined 21 hawk owl stomachs; all contained meadow or red-backed mice; two owls had also fed on shrews.