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Small. Mostly pale facial disks with dark
border. Dark brown upperparts with large white spots. Pale underparts with large, dark
irregular streaks. Yellow eyes. The Boreal Owl is most likely to be confused with the
smaller Northern Saw-whet Owl but lacks brown in the face, has a pale bill, has a dark
border to the face and darker brown upperparts.
As its name indicates this owl is found
in northern coniferous and mixed hardwood forests. Distributed circumpolarly it is found
in northern Europe (where it is known as Tengmalm's Owl), Northern Asia, Alaska, and
Canada. It is most common in spruce or pine woods, although it is regularly found nesting
in aspen in Minnesota.


The first report of its nesting in the lower 48 states came from
Minnesota in 1978. Since then a breeding population has been found in northeast Minnesota
and local populations reported in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and Washington. |