Southern Boobook (Ninox boobook)

Owls of Australia — see Raptors | Australian Boobook Owl | Barn Owl

The Australian Boobook (Ninox boobook), has a number of common names including Southern Boobook, East Australian Boobook, Morepork, Mopoke, Boobook Owl, and Australian Boobook. A species of owl native to mainland Australia, southern New Guinea, the island of Timor, and the Sunda Islands, it is considered a common widespread owl species in Australia.

They are scarce in the more arid regions of western New South Wales, southwestern and western Queensland, inland areas of South Australia, interior of Western Australia and the Northern Territory. In the drier areas, they can be found along watercourses such as the Darling and Paroo Rivers, Lake Eyre Basin, Alice Springs and Central Australia (that has open sewerage treatment ponds, backyard gardens where there are trees, fishponds and fountains). Their habitat range include forests (including eucalypt forests), open woodland, scrubland and semi-desert areas.

It is the smallest owl on the Australian mainland, between 27 to 36 cm long (whilst the nominate subspecies is slightly larger). It has been observed that birds from cooler and more southerly parts of their range tend to be larger, for example the Australian Boobook in the Canberra region weigh around 300 gm, compared to those from the Cape York Peninsula and Broome being around 200 gm. The females are a little larger and heavier than the males.

The name is derived from its two-tone “boo-book” call. The Australian Boobook has short, rounded wings and a short tail, and a compact silhouette in flight. Their plumage is predominantly dark-brown with prominent pale spots. They have grey-green or yellow-green eyes. Young Australian Boobooks are usually paler than the adults and do not attain adult plumage until their third or fourth year. They are generally nocturnal, and can be active at dawn and dusk, retiring to roost in the foliage of trees. They are known to have several nesting sites.

The Australian boobook prey include mice (Mus musculus), black rat (Rattus rattus), bush rat (Rattus fuscipes), insects (particularly nocturnal beetles and moths), and small birds.

Check out Birds of Prey Australian Boobook Owl, Alice Springs Desert Park Australian Boobook Owl and Alice Springs — Southern Boobook.

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• Scientific classification
• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Chordata
• Subphylum: Vertebrata
• Informal: Gnathostomata
• Class: Aves
• Order: Strigiformes
• Family: Strigidae
• Genus: Ninox
• Species: Ninox boobook
• Subspecies:
  • Ninox (Ninox) boobook boobook Latham, 1801
  • Ninox (Ninox) boobook halmaturina Mathews, 1912
  • Ninox (Ninox) boobook lurida De Vis, 1887
  • Ninox (Ninox) boobook ocellata (Bonaparte, 1850)

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Owls of Australia — see Raptors | Australian Boobook Owl | Barn Owl

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