The Boreal Owl (Aegolius funereus) is a small owl. It is also known as the Tengmalm's Owl after Swedish naturalist Peter Gustaf Tengmalm. Other names for the owl include Richardson's Owl, Funeral Owl (latin: funereus), Sparrow Owl, and Pearl Owl (Finnish: helmipöllö and Swedish: pärluggla). This species is a part of the larger grouping of owls known as typical owls, Strigidae, which contains most species of owl. The other grouping is the barn owls, Tytonidae.
Aegolius_funereus can be found in subalpine and boreal forests across the northern hemisphere, including the Neartic and Palearctic regions of the globe. Its range generally follows the northern forest belt.
In North America, where they are known as boreal owls, the range extends from Alaska to eastern Canada.
In Eurasia A._funereus is called Tengmalm’s owl. In Europe they are found mostly in Scandinavia, though there are several scattered populations also found in subalpine forests in the central mountain regions. The range of Tengmalm’s owls extends eastward from Scandinavia, stretching across virtually all of northern Siberia, as they inhabit the taiga lowlands. Their range dips south as it approaches the Pacific Ocean, occurring throughout forested mountains north of the Korean Peninsula.
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native ); palearctic (Native )
Other Geographic Terms: holarctic