Alice Springs Desert Park
ASDP BirdsAustralian Boobook Owl Australian Bustard Australian Hobby Banded Lapwing Barn Owl Black Kite Black-breasted Buzzard Black-faced Woodswallow Black-fronted Dotterel Bourke’s Parrot Brown Falcon Emu Inland Dotterel Orange Chat Pied Honeyeater Princess Parrot Rainbow Bee-eater Red-capped Robin Spinifex Pigeon Splendid Fairy-wren Tawny Frogmouth Wedge-tailed Eagle Western Bowerbird Whistling Kite White-faced Heron White-winged Fairywren
Alice Springs Desert ParkFauna Flora Nature Theatre Nocturnal House
Formerly and commonly known as the Southern Boobook, the Australian Boobook (Ninox boobook) is the smallest of the owls native to Australia. The name change to Australian Boobook is the official name designated by the International Ornithological Committee.1
The smallest and most common of the owls in Australia, the Australian Boobook are often observed perched on an open branch or tree-top, often emitting their distinctive ‘boo-book’ or ‘mo-poke’ call.
Their plumage is a dark chocolate-brown above and rufous-brown below, being heavily streaked and spotted with white. Their bill is grey with a darker tip, whilst their feet are grey or yellow in colour. The facial disc is a chocolate brown and the eyes are large and can be white to a light yellow. The juvenile Australian Boobooks are almost entirely buff-white below, with conspicuous dark brown facial discs.
They feed on insects, small mammals and feed mainly at night, but can sometimes be observed in the morning and late afternoon, especially on overcast days.
Australian Boobook / Southern Boobook Owl, Free-flying Birds Show, Alice Springs Desert Park
Images © Dorothy L / Images © Ausemade PL
More information under Birds > Raptors/Birds of Prey > Australian Boobook and
Alice Springs Fauna > Birds in Alice Spring > Southern Boobook.
- Scientific classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Aves
- Order: Strigiformes
- Family: Strigidae
- Genus: Ninox
- Species: N. boobook
- Binomial name: Ninox boobook
Images © Dorothy L
Footnote & References
- English Name Updates, IOC World Bird List – IOC Version 9.1 (Jan 20, 2019). https://www.worldbirdnames.org/new/updates/english-names/
- Australian Boobook, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_boobook (last visited Sept. 11, 2021)
ASDP BirdsAustralian Boobook Owl Australian Bustard Australian Hobby Banded Lapwing Barn Owl Black Kite Black-breasted Buzzard Black-faced Woodswallow Black-fronted Dotterel Bourke’s Parrot Brown Falcon Emu Inland Dotterel Orange Chat Pied Honeyeater Princess Parrot Rainbow Bee-eater Red-capped Robin Spinifex Pigeon Splendid Fairy-wren Tawny Frogmouth Wedge-tailed Eagle Western Bowerbird Whistling Kite White-faced Heron White-winged Fairywren
ASDP FaunaASDP Arachnida ASDP Birds ASDP Insects ASDP Reptiles Dingo Ghost Bat Greater Bilby Numbat Red Kangaroo Short-beaked Echidna Spinifex Hopping Mouse Thorny Devil Western Quoll
Alice Springs Desert ParkFauna Flora Nature Theatre Nocturnal House