The Boreal owl is a small owl with a large head. It is brown from above and has small white spots all over the brown area. It has big yellow eyes that make it look a little amazed.

The Boreal owl typically lives in coniferous forests, but it can also be found in mixed forests. Its distribution range includes Europe, Asia and North America. Young birds and females may wander from place to place in search of food but old males stay near their nesting places. The Boreal owl nests in a tree hole, mostly in the holes made by the Black woodpecker (Dryocopus martius). It can also nest in nesting boxes made for the species.

Saving sturdy rotten trees benefits the Black woodpecker, in which case there is also more old Black woodpeckers' holes for Boreal owls to nest in.