Northern Hawk Owl in Detail.

Northern Hawk Owls somewhat resemble a falcon with profile and plumage. They are medium-sized owls (14.2–17.7 in) that have a black border on the outer edges of their white facial disks, with a forehead and crown of white spots. Their undersides look white with dark brown bars, while their backsides appear dark brown with white spots.

Typically they are confident and relatively easy to approach. The Northern Hawk Owl population is considered stable with a global population of around 120,000.

Northern Hawk Owls have amazing vision and can spot prey up to a half mile away. They are also able to detect prey under a foot of snow. Their diet consist largely of voles and other small mammals, but they will also hunt smaller birds, more so in winter. It's not uncommon to find a Northern Hawk Owl hunting in the daylight, seeing as the must to survive summer in Alaska.

They are often found perched on the top of spruce trees of boreal forests, and tamarack bogs in interior Alaska. Generally south of the Brooks Range. They prefer to perch near open areas for better hunting.

Nesting

Northern Hawk Owls prefer to nest in tree cavities such as old woodpecker nest. But will also use abandoned nest of other larger birds. Nest can be as low as 10 feet from ground level. They often lay 4-9 eggs and can lay more or less depending on the abundance of prey. Males will feed a nesting female often leaving prey near the nest.

Females stay with the young constantly for their first two weeks and they are able to fly by five to six weeks.