Luzon Boobook
Ninox philippensis
The Luzon Boobook (Ninox philippensis) is a rare owl found only in the Philippines, weighing about 128 g. The Luzon boobook or Luzon hawk owl, also Philippine hawk owl or Philippine boobook, is a species of owl in the family Strigidae.
About the Luzon Boobook
The Luzon boobook or Luzon hawk owl, also Philippine hawk owl or Philippine 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.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The Luzon boobook is one of the smallest of the owls in the Philippine hawk-owl complex. It has white eyebrow-like streaks above the eyes and the beak and a white moustache forming an x-shape on the head. It does not have tufts of feathers on its head resembling ears. The upper parts of all subspecies are brown, and the wings are mottled with oval-shaped white spots. The tail is dark brown with narrow white stripes. The sides of the head are brown, the chin is a whitish colour, while the rest of the underparts are pale white with wide brown streaks which are more prominent on the breast.
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: January, February, March, April, May, June, August, October, November, December, with peak activity in February. It is a variable species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Luzon Boobook?
- The Luzon boobook is one of the smallest of the owls in the Philippine hawk-owl complex. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Luzon Boobook?
- The Luzon Boobook is a medium sized bird weighing about 128 g.
- Where can you see a Luzon Boobook?
- The Luzon Boobook is endemic to the Philippines, which is the only country where it occurs.
- What birds look similar to a Luzon Boobook?
- The Luzon Boobook is most easily confused with the Hume's Boobook, the Papuan Boobook and the Andaman Boobook.
- Is the Luzon Boobook endangered?
- The Luzon Boobook is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Luzon Boobook for real
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