Himalayan owl
Strix nivicolum (Blyth, 1845)
The himalayan owl (Strix nivicolum) is a species in the family Strigidae, order Strigiformes. Recorded adults weigh 433 g to 524 g and live up to 21.5 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.
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Quick facts about the himalayan owl
- Weight
- 433 g – 524 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 21.5 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Carnivoresrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 22.4 years
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- forestsrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 29.7 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 3.1src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 12 monthssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Lifestyle
- Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Sedentarysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the himalayan owl live?
Not recorded
What is the himalayan owl?
The Himalayan owl or Himalayan wood owl (Strix nivicolum) is a medium-sized owl native to the forests and mountain ranges of the Himalayas, Taiwan and Korea. Although populations are declining, this owl is not considered endangered and is currently listed as a species of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List due to its large range and slow decline. The Himalayan owl is nocturnal and is rarely seen in most areas of its range. Few studies have been done on its lifestyle and current population trends.
From the Wikipedia article “Himalayan owl” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Himalayan_owl&oldid=1361085570), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the himalayan owl endangered?
The himalayan owl is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the himalayan owl classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderStrigiformes
- familyStrigidae
- genusStrix
- SpeciesStrix nivicolum (Blyth, 1845)
Synonyms Strix aluco nivipetens, Syrmium aluco harterti, Syrnium nivicolum
Other names and names in other languages (34)
- Himalayan wood owlEnglish
- بوم الهيمالاياArabic
- gamarús de l'HimàlaiaCatalan
- puštík čínskýCzech
- HimalayanatugleDanish
- Himalaya-natugleDanish
- HimalajakauzGerman
- HimalayakauzGerman
- HimalayawaldkauzGerman
- himalaja strigoEsperanto
- Cárabo del HimalayaSpanish
- Chouette des neigesFrench
- Chouette de l'HimalayaFrench
- Chouette de l’HimalayaFrench
- mrka sovaCroatian
- Allocco dell'HimalayaItalian
- ミヤマモリフクロウJapanese
- ヒマラヤフクロウJapanese
- 올빼미Korean
- Himalajinė pelėdaLithuanian
- Kleine HimalayabosuilDutch
- orientkattugleNorwegian
- puszczyk leśnyPolish
- coruja-chinesaPortuguese
- coruja-dos-himalaiasPortuguese
- Гималайская неясытьRussian
- sova horskáSlovak
- Himalajska šumska sovaSerbian
- orientkattugglaSwedish
- Himalaya BaykuşuTurkish
- сова гімалайськаUkrainian
- 灰林鸮Chinese
- 喜瑪拉雅林鴞Chinese
- 東方灰林鴞Chinese
Relatives of the himalayan owl
Other species in the same genus Strix.
Tawny owl
Strix aluco
Ural owl
Strix uralensis
Great grey owl
Strix nebulosa
Brown wood owl
Strix leptogrammica
Barred owl
Strix varia
Omani owl
Strix butleri
CompareHimalayan owl vs Tawny owlHimalayan owl vs Ural owlHimalayan owl vs Great grey owlHimalayan owl vs Brown wood owl
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the himalayan owl?
An adult himalayan owl weighs 433 g – 524 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the himalayan owl endangered?
The himalayan owl is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.
How long does the himalayan owl live?
The himalayan owl has a recorded lifespan of 21.5 years.
What kind of animal is the himalayan owl?
The himalayan owl (Strix nivicolum) belongs to the family Strigidae in the order Strigiformes.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · 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 · 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 · 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 · 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 · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · 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).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Himalayan owl (Strix nivicolum). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/himalayan-owl
“Himalayan owl (Strix nivicolum).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/himalayan-owl.
@misc{himalayan_owl_2026,
title = {Himalayan owl (Strix nivicolum)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/himalayan-owl},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}