Bird of the Week – Northern Hawk Owl

Another Alaskan owl, now much harder to find, is the Northern Hawk Owl. The Hawk Owl has the longest tail among North American owls. The black border around the white facial disk is also a great field mark. Like the Boreal Owl, the Northern Hawk Owl is a plunge dive feeder, and is suffering from the unseasonable mid-winter rain storms, which make it impossible for them to punch through the snow to the prey below. Last year WC saw exactly one Hawk Owl. For more bird photos, please visit Frozen Feather Images.