Common Name: Boobook Hawk Owl Scientific Name: Ninox novaeseelandiae boobook
LEAST CONCERN Boobook Hawk Owl Distribution: Australia Habitat: Varied Height: 30cm Weight: 250 - 315g Diet: Carnivorous
Boobook Owls can be various shades of brown, juveniles are much more patterned than the adults until they get their mature plumage. Owls all have very strong feet with impressive talons to catch their prey. Unusually in animals, the males are actually smaller than the females. These owls range widely between habitats. They have been seen in forest, woodland, farmland and even into semi-desert. They are mostly found where there is an abundance of trees for perching. They roost during the day mostly coming out at night. They choose to roost in dense vegetation rather than tree holes like other owls. These owls are mainly insectivores. They supplement their insect diet, when breeding, by taking small mammals such as bats. These animals live alone unless they have formed a mating pair. Pairs roost together during the day and hunt at dusk or at night. If they catch more food than they can eat they will stash the excess in crevices to come back to later. They form pairs to breed, laying eggs in October. In contrast to their vegetative roost sites they prefer to nest in higher tree hollows. The eggs take 30 days to hatch when a cream colour chick appears. The chicks will fledge at about three months but they will stay in a family group to learn to hunt before dispersing the next summer. The Boobook Hawk Owl is found throughout Australia. They are not currently endangered but felling of trees is causing problems due to lack of nest sites.