Are All Owls Nocturnal?

No, not owls are strictly nocturnal, although the vast majority do follow a nocturnal lifestyle. In northern latitudes, the hawk own hunts during the light Arctic summer nights and during the few hours of daylight in winter. Other species are also often seen in the daytime. The little owl, for instance, sometimes hunts by daylight and the hurrowing owl, although mainly a nocturnal hunter, stands at the entrance to its burrow during the day and whips out to catch any unsuspecting prey that go past.

Species that are active at dusk and the few owls that fly during the day should be easier for us to observe and study but, in fact, this is not the case. The majority of species that are active during the day tend to live in dense woodlands or forests where visibility is poor. Only a very few species fly during daylight hours in open terrain.