Southern Boobook Owl

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Sunday July 20th, 2008

Southern Boobook Owl
Ninox boobook

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As of February 2005.
Description	A small to medium sized owl with no ear tufts. Brown above with spotting, white or buff below with brown barring. Facial disk indistinct and dusky, eyes yellowish.
Size	25-36cm, 170-360g
Range	All of Australia, Timor and S New Guinea.
Habitat	Found in many habitats from forest to desert.
Food	Mainly insects but also mammals (bats and rodents), birds, lizards and frogs.
Breeding	August-October, normally in a tree cavity. 2-5 eggs are incubated for 31-35 days. The young fledge at about 5 weeks but remain with the parents for a further 2-3 months.
Call	Two syllable “boo-book”.
Status	Not globally threatened, widespread and common in most areas.
Comments	Until recently was included with the New Zealand Morepork as one species, but now considered an allopatric species. Further studies are required on the whole group to resolve relationships.
Races	The race leucopsis is sometimes included with N. novaeseelandiae. The race lurida (synonymous with yorki) may be specifically distinct.
N.b.boobook	S Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and S Australia
N.b.rotiensis	Roti I, Lesser Sundas
N.b.fusca	Timor, Roma and Leti I E Leeser Sundas and Moa I (includes race moae)
N.b.plesseni	W Alor, W Lesser Sundas
N.b.cinnamomina	Tepa, Barbar Is in E Lesser Sundas
N.b.pusilla	S New Guinea
N.b.ocellata	Sawu I (W of Timor), Australia W of Dividing Range, Kai Is (includes race remigialis)
N.b.lurida	SE Queensland
N.b.leucopsis	Tasmania

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