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World Owl Trust - leading the World in Owl Conservation
Saturday 4th February, 2012


Southern Boobook Owl
Ninox boobook
Southern Boobook Owl - Ninox boobook
Southern Boobook Owl - Ninox boobook
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 Island (includes race moae)
N.b.plesseni W Alor, W Lesser Sundas
N.b.cinnamomina Tepa, Barbar Island in E Lesser Sundas
N.b.pusilla S New Guinea
N.b.ocellata Sawu Island (W of Timor), Australia W of Dividing Range, Kai Island (includes race remigialis)
N.b.lurida SE Queensland
N.b.leucopsis Tasmania

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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