| New Britain boobook | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Strigiformes |
| Family: | Strigidae |
| Genus: | Ninox |
| Species: | N. odiosa |
| Binomial name | |
| Ninox odiosa (Sclater, 1877) | |
The New Britain boobook (Ninox odiosa), also known as the spangled boobook, New Britain hawk-owl or Russet hawk-owl, is a small owl that is endemic to New Britain, the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago in Papua New Guinea.
The New Britain boobook is a small owl that grows to a length of about 22 cm (9 in). It has finely spotted chocolate-brown plumage, golden eyes and white eyebrows. Its facial disk is brown while the upper breast is marked with a wide brown band with buff or white barrings. The underparts are densely spotted brown. [3]
Its call is a series of rapidly repeated "whoo"s, starting at a low pitch which rises and becomes faster and louder. [3]
This species is found in the lowlands and hills of the New Britain and New Ireland endemic bird areas at elevations of up to 1,200 m (3,937 ft) above sea level. It is fairly common in its small range and is nocturnal. It roosts during the day alone or in pairs in the middle to upper parts of the forest canopy. It feeds mainly on insects and small mammals.
Formerly classified as being a "Species of Least Concern" by the IUCN, [1] the New Britain boobook was later suspected to be rarer than had previously been assumed because its rainforest habitat was being degraded by logging and forest clearance for conversion to oil palm plantations. Following the re-evaluation of its population size, this assumption was found to be correct and its numbers are now thought to be within the range of 15,000 to 30,000 individuals. Its total range is less than 30,000 km2 (11,583 sq mi) so its category was subsequently changed to "Vulnerable" status in 2008. [3]
The morepork, also called the ruru or Tasmanian spotted owl, is a small brown owl found throughout New Zealand and Tasmania. Described by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in 1788, it was for many years considered to be the same species as the Australian boobook of mainland Australia until 1999. Its name is derived from its two-tone call. Four subspecies of the morepork are recognized, one of which is extinct and another that exists only as a hybrid population. The bird has almost 20 alternative common names, including mopoke and boobook—many of these names are onomatopoeic, as they emulate the bird's distinctive two-pitched call.
The Australian boobook, which is known in some regions as the mopoke, is a species of owl native to mainland Australia, southern New Guinea, the island of Timor, and the Sunda Islands. Described by John Latham in 1801, it was generally considered to be the same species as the morepork of New Zealand until 1999. Its name is derived from its two-tone boo-book call. Eight subspecies of the Australian boobook are recognized, with three further subspecies being reclassified as separate species in 2019 due to their distinctive calls and genetics.
The WestSolomons owl, also referred to as the West Solomons boobook, is a small to medium-sized owl, measuring 23–31 cm (9.1–12.2 in) in length. Its upperparts are rusty brown, sometimes spotted or barred with white, its chest is buffy white, sometimes spotted or barred with brown, and its creamy belly is unmarked. It has a grayish-brown facial disc, edged by narrow white eyebrows and a band of white across the throat.
The New Ireland boobook also known as the Bismarck hawk owl or Bismarck boobook, is a small to medium-sized owl measuring 25 to 30 cm in length. It is a dark rufous-brown above, with barred scapular feathers and variable amounts of spotting or barring on the wings and tail. Its underparts are whitish, with an unmarked pale throat, a dark barred upper breast and barring on the remainder of the underparts. Its face is dark brown, its eyes are brown or yellow, and its bill and legs are yellow. It is short-tailed and has heavy tarsi.
The speckled boobook, also called the Oriental hawk-owl, is a small owl at 17–20 cm. It is a reddish-brown hawk owl with a white-spotted head, back and wings, a white throat patch, black facial disk, and white eyebrows.
The Manus boobook is a small owl. It has an unmarked brown facial disk, rufous crown and back, barred white flight feathers and tail, and whitish underparts with rufous streaking.
The Papuan boobook, jungle boobook or jungle hawk owl, is a medium-sized, dark-colored owl. It has a dark gray-brown facial disk with lighter colored eyebrows, sooty or chocolate underparts, and mainly dark gray wings.
The cinnabar boobook also known as the cinnabar hawk owl, is a hawk owl endemic to the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. It was described as a new species to science by American ornithologist Pamela C. Rasmussen in 1999 based on a single specimen collected by Frank Rozendaal from Bogani Nani Wartabone National Park on Minahassa Peninsula, northern Sulawesi, in 1985. Subsequently, it has also been observed in Lore Lindu National Park in central Sulawesi, greatly expanding the known habitat range.
The Andaman hawk-owl or Andaman boobook is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is endemic to the Andaman Islands.
The Christmas boobook, also known more specifically as the Christmas Island hawk-owl, is a species of owl in the family Strigidae.
The little Sumba hawk-owl, also known as the little Sumba boobook or least boobook, is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is endemic to the Indonesian island of Sumba. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The northern boobook belongs to the family Strigidae and is a raptorial owl endemic to eastern and southern countries of Asia. The species was considered, until recently, a conspecific of Ninox scutulata or brown boobook, a species of similar distribution encompassing 11 subspecies. The species currently includes two subspecies, the migrant Ninox japonica japonica and the non-migrant Ninox japonica totogo. Despite being considered as the most common breeding owl in Japan, little research has been conducted on the species and subspecies and the taxonomic classification of N.j.togoto and N.j.japonica has been a subject of debate. There are no indications of significant decline in northern boobook populations and therefore, its conservation status has been classified as least concern by the IUCN Red List.
The Camiguin hawk-owl or Camiguin boobook is an owl species resident to the Camiguin island in the Philippines. It is the only owl in the country with greenish-yellow or grayish eyes. It was previously known as a subspecies of the Philippine hawk-owl, but was reclassified in 2012, as voice and other evidence suggested it a distinct species. Its native name is kugkug
The Luzon hawk-owl or Luzon boobook is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is endemic to the Philippines where it lives in forests. It is a brown and white mottled bird and males and females look much alike.
The Mindanao hawk-owl or Mindanao boobook is a species of owl in the family Strigidae that is endemic to the Philippines on the island of Mindanao. It was previously known as a subspecies of the Philippine hawk-owl, but was reclassified in 2012, as voice and other evidence suggested it a distinct species. It is found in tropical moist lowland forest. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The Mindoro hawk-owl or Mindoro boobook is a species of owl in the family Strigidae that is endemic to the Philippines.
The Romblon hawk-owl or Romblon boobook, is a species of owl in the family Strigidae that is endemic to the Philippines only found in the islands of Tablas,Sibuyan and Romblon. It was previously known as a subspecies of the Philippine hawk-owl, but was reclassified in 2012, as voice and other evidence suggested it a distinct species. Its natural habitats are r tropical moist lowland forest. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The Cebu hawk-owl or Cebu boobook, is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is endemic to the Philippines. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the Philippine hawk-owl, but was reclassified in 2012, as voice and other data suggested placement as a distinct species.
The Sulu hawk-owl or Sulu boobook, is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is endemic to the Sulu Archipelago in the Philippines. It was previously known as a subspecies of the Philippine hawk-owl, but was reclassified in 2012, as voice and other evidence suggested it a distinct species. It is found in tropical moist lowland forest. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Ninox boobook ocellata is a subspecies of the Australian boobook, which is also widely known as the southern boobook. The southern boobook is the most common and smallest owl on the Australian mainland.
