Boreal owl

Boreal owl
A. f. funereus, Hallands Län, Sweden
A. f. richardsoni, Denali, Alaska
CITES Appendix II
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Strigiformes
Family: Strigidae
Genus: Aegolius
Species:
A. funereus
Binomial name
Aegolius funereus
Subspecies

7, see text

Range of A. funereus
  Resident
  Non-breeding
Synonyms
  • Nyctala tengmalmi (Gmelin, 1788)
  • Cryptoglaux tengmalmi (Gmelin, 1788)
  • Glaux funerea (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Strix funerea Linnaeus, 1758
  • Strix tengmalmi Gmelin, 1788

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 however often extremely confiding, showing little or no fear of people, and only flying off if approached to within 3–5 metres.