Aegolius

Aegolius is a genus of small true owls. The genus name is from Latin, aegolius, is a type of screech owl that was thought to be a bird of ill omen.

==Taxonomy== The genus Aegolius was introduced in 1829 by the German naturalist Johann Jakob Kaup with the boreal owl (Aegolius funereus) as the type species. The genus name is Latin for a screech owl, the word came from the Ancient Greek aigōlios meaning "a bird of ill omen". In Greek mythology, Aegolius was originally a man whom Zeus transformed into an owl.