# Boreal owl (*Aegolius funereus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/boreal-owl  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The boreal owl (Aegolius funereus), also called Tengmalm's owl, is a small owl in the family Strigidae and subfamily Surniinae, within the order Strigiformes. It is a carnivore of forest habitats with a perching lifestyle, and it is partially migratory. Adults weigh 137.2 g as a representative value, from 107 to 167 g, and the wingspan is 56 cm, from 50 to 62 cm. The IUCN Red List assesses it globally as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 107 g – 167 g |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Wingspan | 50 cm – 62 cm |
| Lifespan | 11 years |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 15.9 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | forest |
| Egg incubation | 27.8 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 5.15 |
| Age at maturity | 12 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Active | At night (nocturnal) |
| Lifestyle | Perching |
| Migration | Partial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Strigiformes
- family: Strigidae
- genus: Aegolius
- species: *Aegolius funereus* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Cryptoglaux funerea*, *Cryptoglaux tengmalmi*, *Glaux funerea*, *Glaux tengmalmi*, *Noctua temgmalmi*, *Nyctala tengmalmi*, *Strix funerea*, *Strix tengmalmi*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the boreal owl?

The boreal owl is a bird, an owl in the family Strigidae and order Strigiformes.

### How big is the boreal owl?

It is a small owl weighing 137.2 g as a representative value, from 107 to 167 g, with a wingspan of 56 cm, from 50 to 62 cm.

### What does the boreal owl eat?

The boreal owl is a carnivore.

### What habitat does the boreal owl live in?

It lives in forest habitats and has a perching lifestyle.

### Is the boreal owl endangered?

No. The IUCN Red List assesses it globally as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does the boreal owl live?

Its lifespan is 11 years, with values up to 15.9 years reported.

### How many eggs does the boreal owl lay?

It lays 5 eggs per clutch and has 1 clutch per year, with an incubation period of 28 days.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), CC BY 4.0, v7. Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Boreal owl (Aegolius funereus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/boreal-owl