General Information

Also called the mopoke or morepork, the Southern Boobook is a small brown owl. Its name boobook comes from the Eora Australian Aboriginal tribe, who were the original inhabitants of the Sydney region. Southern Boobooks are usually seen alone, in pairs, or in small family groups. They are mainly nocturnal, but are sometimes active at dawn, dusk and, in New Zealand, even during the day

Physical Description

The Southern Boobook is the smallest and most common owl in Australia. It is a mere 28-36 cm long. This owl is identified by its dark chocolate-brown plumage above and rufous-brown below. It is heavily streaked and spotted with white. The bill is a grey color with a darker tip, and the feet are grey or yellow. The facial disc is chocolate brown and its eyes are large and yellowish. Young Southern Boobooks are almost entirely buff-white below, with conspicuous dark brown facial discs.

Diet

The main hunting times for this owl are evenings and mornings, with brief bursts of activity through the night. On dark nights they will perch through the middle hours and may hunt in the daylight instead. The Southern Boobook feeds on insects, small mammals such as mice, and other small animal species. Feeding takes place mostly at night but some afternoon and morning activity may occur, especially on dull days. Most times, the Boobook can detect their prey by listening and watching from a tall perch. Although their main hunting technique is perch and pounce, they are agile birds with swift wing action and the ability to maneuver rapidly when pursuing prey or hawking for insects

Habitat

The Southern Boobook is found mainly in New Zealand and the more fertile and temperate parts of Australia. Further to the north the bird is less common but widespread. Its range extends to most of northern, central and western Australia, Timor, southern New Guinea and nearby islands. The Boobook prefers habitats with trees, ranging from deep tropical forests to isolated stands at the edges of arid zones, farmland, or alpine grasslands. However, it is most common in temperate woodlands.

Reproduction

Southern Boobooks breed from September to February each year. Most activity occurs during October. The nest is normally a tree hollow, which is usually sparsely lined with wood shavings, leaves and small twigs, but may be left bare as well. The female incubates alone but both sexes, and sometimes a second female helper, will feed the two to three, and occasionally up to five, young. The baby birds stay in the nest until they are five or six weeks old.