Description
The boobook owl does not possess the distinctive facial mask of the barn or masked owls. Boobook owls are the smallest of the Australian owl species, but they vary in size depending on where they live. Their colour is dark brown with spots of white and grey and their eyes are often bright yellow. The main threat to this animal is habitat clearance. If their trees are cut down this species will have no hollows in which to breed.
Habitat
The boobook owl is found living in areas from rainforest to desert and its distinctive “boo-book” or “more-pork” call can even be heard in the inner-city suburbs. It is also found in some parts of New Guinea and Indonesia, with a closely related species in New Zealand. It often spends the day in the hollows of trees or in rocks crevices. Sometimes it will rest in the foliage of trees, but it is often harassed by smaller birds in such a situation. The boobook owl is able to blend well into its environment courtesy of their finely mottled plumage.
Diet
The boobook owl is renowned for its acrobatic skills in catching invertebrate prey such as moths, beetles, spiders and crickets. Vertebrates, such as rodents, small bats and birds are also taken. The entire prey is swallowed, and the indigestible parts are regurgitated as a pellet at a later date.
Reproduction
Their breeding season is usually late winter to early summer. They lay rounded eggs, white in colour, with 2 to 3 eggs per clutch. The nest is usually in a tree hollow and has a bed of chewed wood chips on the floor. The female incubates the eggs for around a month, and she is fed by the male during this period.
