The Northern Hawk Owl is smaller than a crow 15-17" (38 - 43 cm) Its wingspan is 33" (84 cm). This owl has a long rounded tail and flies during the day. It actually behaves more like a hawk. It has a barred breast, and its white face is edged with black on the sides. The voice is a chattering ki ki ki ki, similar to a hawk or kestrel.

This owl lives in clearings in boreal coniferous forests. The female lays 3-7 white eggs in a tree cavity, in an abandoned bird's nest, or (rarely) on a cliff.

It is a resident from Alaska east to Labrador and south to British Columbia, Newfoundland, and Gaspe Peninsula. It may wander farther south in winter into the U.S. northwest. Also found in Eurasia.

Because the sun doesn't go down during the summer half of the year in the northern part of this owl's range, it has adapted to these conditions, making it the most diurnal of all North American Owls. Its prey includes mice and lemmings. In winter, when rodents hide in their burrows deep beneath the snow, it eats more birds, such as grouse, than mammals. This bird lives in areas where it rarely sees humans. People who happen upon them find them to be very tame.