Northern Hawk Owl

SCI Name:  Surnia ulula
Protonym:  Strix Ulula Syst.Nat.ed.10 p.93
Taxonomy:  Strigiformes / Strigidae / Surnia
Taxonomy Code:  nohowl
Type Locality:  Europe, restricted type locality Sweden, ex Fn. Suec.
Author:  Linnaeus
Publish Year:  1758
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

SURNIA
(Strigidae; Ϯ Northern Hawk Owl S. ulula) De Savigny 1809, lists συρνιον surnion, as the name of a type of owl mentioned in a rare Latin grammar by Sextus Pompeius Festus (c. 280 AD), and treats the name as synonymous with ulula and ελεος eleos (cf. "The Rayed Surn (Str. nisoria, Wolf; Str. funerea, Lin.). — This, the best-known species, from the north of the whole globe, is about the size of the Sparrow-hawk" (Blyth 1840); Surnia is listed as a proper name by Agassiz 1842-1846; “an invented name; probably without meaning” (BOU 1915); “Schwaner gives Surnion as a Greek word meaning an owl” (Langton 1920); “Apparently an arbitrary name” (Macleod 1954); “probably from Greek  ...  surnion, a bird of ill omen” (Holloway 2003); “On pense qu’il a formé ce mot à partir du grec surein (sirène)” (Cabard & Chauvet 2003). Yet, the Sirens of myth. < Gr. Σειρην Seirēn, Σειρηνες Seirēnes, who lured travellers to their deaths with bewitching songs, also gave their name to various strange birds, including an unknown small singing bird, the ostrich, and the owl); “1. Le genre surnie (surnia) comprend les chouettes à longue queue ou èperviers, la funèbre, la sibérienne, et plusieurs autres.” (Duméril 1806): "Surnia Duméril, Zool. Analytique, 1806, p. 34. Type, by subsequent designation, Strix funerea Gmelin [i.e. Strix funerea Linné, 1766, not Strix funerea Linné, 1758] = Strix ulula Linné (Gray, List Gen. Bds., 1840, p. 5)." (Peters 1940, IV, 126).
Var. Surna, Syrnia.
Synon. Nycthierax.

ulula
L. ulula and uluccus  screech owl  < ululare  to howl.
● "42. STRIX.   ...   Ulula.  10. S. capite lævi, corpore supra fusco albo maculato, rectricibus fasciis albis. Fn. svec. 52.  Ulula. Gesn. av. 773. Aldr. ornith. l. 8. c. 6. Will. ornith. 68. t. 13. Raj. av. 26. n. 4.  Habitat in Europa.” (Linnaeus 1758) (Surnia).

Ulula
L. ulula and uluccus  screech owl  < ululare  to howl.
● (syn. Bubo Ϯ Great Eagle Owl B. bubo) "Tab. VII. fig. 1.  Ulula Bubo.  Avis cornuta, diversæ magnitudinis; in Prussia tres numeramus. Nidulantur in inaccessis. Ovum candidissimum, fere globosum." (Klein 1766). 
● (syn. Strix Ϯ Ural Owl S. uralensis)"On pourrait réserver le nom de CHOUETTES. (ULULA. Cuv.) Pour les espèces qui ont le bec et l'oreille des hibous, mais non leurs aigrettes  Nous n'en possédons point de telles ici; mais il y en a dans le nord des deux continens, par exemple:  La grande Chouette grise de Suède. (Str. litturata de Retzius.)  ...  La Chouette du Canada. (Str. nebulosa. Gm.)" (Cuvier 1817).    Var. Mula.
● (syn. Tyto Ϯ Common Barn Owl T. alba) "Ulula (Strix auctt.) flammea;" (Nitzsch 1829); "Ulula Nitzsch, Obs. Av. Art. Carot. Comm. p. 20 (pref. Ides Sept.), 1829: new name for Strix Savigny.  Not Ulula Cuvier, Règne Anim. vol. i. p. 329 [1817], i.e. Dec. 1816." (Mathews 1927, 278).

SUBSPECIES

Northern Hawk Owl (American)
SCI Name: Surnia ulula caparoch
caparoch
According to Edwards 1747, the Northern Hawk Owl was called Coparacoch by the Cree around Hudson’s Bay; ex “Little Hawk-Owl”of Edwards 1747, and “Caparoch” of de Buffon 1770-1783 (subsp. Surnia ulula).

Northern Hawk Owl (Eurasian)
SCI Name: Surnia ulula ulula/tianschanica
SURNIA
(Strigidae; Ϯ Northern Hawk Owl S. ulula) De Savigny 1809, lists συρνιον surnion, as the name of a type of owl mentioned in a rare Latin grammar by Sextus Pompeius Festus (c. 280 AD), and treats the name as synonymous with ulula and ελεος eleos (cf. "The Rayed Surn (Str. nisoria, Wolf; Str. funerea, Lin.). — This, the best-known species, from the north of the whole globe, is about the size of the Sparrow-hawk" (Blyth 1840); Surnia is listed as a proper name by Agassiz 1842-1846; “an invented name; probably without meaning” (BOU 1915); “Schwaner gives Surnion as a Greek word meaning an owl” (Langton 1920); “Apparently an arbitrary name” (Macleod 1954); “probably from Greek  ...  surnion, a bird of ill omen” (Holloway 2003); “On pense qu’il a formé ce mot à partir du grec surein (sirène)” (Cabard & Chauvet 2003). Yet, the Sirens of myth. < Gr. Σειρην Seirēn, Σειρηνες Seirēnes, who lured travellers to their deaths with bewitching songs, also gave their name to various strange birds, including an unknown small singing bird, the ostrich, and the owl); “1. Le genre surnie (surnia) comprend les chouettes à longue queue ou èperviers, la funèbre, la sibérienne, et plusieurs autres.” (Duméril 1806): "Surnia Duméril, Zool. Analytique, 1806, p. 34. Type, by subsequent designation, Strix funerea Gmelin [i.e. Strix funerea Linné, 1766, not Strix funerea Linné, 1758] = Strix ulula Linné (Gray, List Gen. Bds., 1840, p. 5)." (Peters 1940, IV, 126).
Var. Surna, Syrnia.
Synon. Nycthierax.