The Ural owl was named by Peter Simon Pallas in 1771 as Stryx uralensis, due to the type specimen having been collected in the Ural mountains range. While the Urals fall around the middle of the species' distribution, some authors such as Karel Voous lamented that a more broadly appropriate than Ural owl wasn't derived for the English common name. In other languages, the species is referred to as Slaguggla, or attacking owl, in Swedish, Habichtskauz, or goshawk-owl, in German or as the long-tailed owl in Russian. The Ural owl is a member of the Strix genus, which are quite often referred to as wood owls. Conservatively, about 18 species are currently represented in this genus, typically being medium to large sized owls, characteristically round-headed and lacking ear tufts, which acclimate to living in forested parts of various climatic zones. Four owls native to the neotropics are sometimes additionally included with the Strix genus but some authorities have also included these in a separate but related genus, Ciccaba. Strix owls have an extensive fossil record and have long been widely distributed. The genetic relationship of true owls is somewhat muddled and different genetic testings has variously indicated that Strix owls are related to disparate appearing genera like Pulsatrix, Bubo and Asio.