Verification of Unusual
Sight Record
For Utah
Rec. # 2024-49
| Common name: |
Boreal Owl |
| Scientific name: | Aegolius funereus |
| Date: | 7/11/2024 |
| Time: | 9:25 for first two juveniles and 11:10 for the second group of four juveniles with at least one parent |
| Length of time observed: | We heard the first two for about ten minutes and observed one of them for about a minute before it flew. We observed the second family group off and on for about twenty minutes. |
| Number: | Six juveniles and at least one adult that came and went |
| Age: | Juvenile and adult |
| Sex: | Unknown |
| Location: | Forest Road 414 |
| County: | Wasatch |
| Latilong: | |
| Elevation: | Above 9000’, most likely around 9600-9700’ |
| Distance to bird: | Approximately ten feet from the adult and one juvenile. At other times we were within twenty feet of the ones we saw. |
| Optical equipment: | We observed with the naked eye except when photographing with individual Nikon and Canon cameras and zoom lenses. Lenses were zoomed between 400 and 600mm |
| Weather: | Clear, starlit sky with almost no wind. Jackets weren’t necessary, so the temperature was probably around sixty degrees |
| Light Conditions: | Crescent moon. We used LED flashlights to illuminate the birds for observation and photographs. |
| Description: Size of bird: | 9-10" |
| (Description:) Basic Shape: | Large-headed owl |
| (Description:) Overall Pattern: | See notes in description below |
| (Description:) Bill Type: | Hooked for gripping and tearing prey |
|
(Description:)
Field Marks and Identifying Characteristics: |
Please see images of juveniles and adult. The juveniles had pale bills,
dark sooty chests and bellies, with a little bit of light spotting and
streaking of adult or basic plumage beginning to develop on some of
them. Juveniles also had thin white eyebrows and white spotting
throughout the topside. The adult had what appeared to be small eyes in
a large, mostly-white facial disc with a dark brown, broken frame. There
was white spotting (no streaking) on the forehead. Course brown/red
streaking ran through the chest and belly. The back and wings were
spotted (see photos) |
| Song or call & method of delivery: | We initially heard two juveniles begging. During our observation of the second group, we heard simultaneous juveniles begging from three distinct locations as we were observing a silent juvenile. We also heard several types of contact calls from an adult. One adult vocalization was four chirps and another was a soft meow, or alarm call. |
| Behavior: | Perching, begging, and flying |
| Habitat: | Mixed spruce, fir, pine, and aspen. |
| Similar
species and
how were they eliminated: |
Juvenile Northern Saw-whet Owls would have two-toned undersides with dark on chest and buff or tawny coloring on the belly. These birds had dark sooty feathering on the chest and belly, although some were starting to show some darker streaking (perhaps basic plumage developing) on the belly. Saw-whet juveniles and adults would have a dark bill, these juveniles and adults had pale bills. The adult was distinctly Boreal Owl with a pale rather than dark bill, large head, smallish eyes relative to the size of the large white facial disk, a white-spotted forehead rather than the white streaking of a Saw-whet, and white spotting throughout the topside rather than a few spots isolated to the side and upperwing coverts like a Saw-whet. |
| Previous
experience with this & similar species: |
We have observed well over fifty individual adult Boreal Owls as we’ve intentionally located and studied the species throughout the Uinta Mountains annually since fall of 2020. Jeff has observed them in Montana and Minnesota as well. We have targeted juvenile Boreal Owls for several years during summer months, but this is our first encounter with them. |
| References consulted: | We have consulted the following as we’ve studied the species since 2020: BirdsofTheWorl.org, AllAboutBirds.org, Merlin, Siblely, YouTube videos, and other random sources |
| Description from: | Our descriptions are based on mental notes and discussions we had on the scene and the photos we captured and reviewed afterward. |
| Observer: | Terry Reid, James Loveless, Jeff Cooper |
| Observer's address: | |
| Observer's e-mail address: | ** |
| Other observers who independently identified this bird: | |
| Date prepared: | 7/13/2024 |
| Additional material: | |
| Additional comments: | Link to eBird Checklist: |