Sooty Owl
Tyto tenebricosa
The Sooty Owl (Tyto tenebricosa) is a rare bay owls and barn owl found in 3 countries, weighing about 661 g. The sooty owl or greater sooty owl is a medium to large owl found in south-eastern Australia, Montane rainforests of New Guinea and have been seen on Flinders Island in the Bass Strait.
About the Sooty Owl
The sooty owl or greater sooty owl is a medium to large owl found in south-eastern Australia, Montane rainforests of New Guinea and have been seen on Flinders Island in the Bass Strait. The lesser sooty owl, is sometimes considered to be conspecific with this species, in which case they are then together referred to as sooty owls. It is substantially smaller and occurs in the wet tropics region of North Queensland, Australia.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
Greater sooty owls have a finely white spotted head with scattered white spots on the wings. The females are lighter colored than the males. They appear to be the heaviest of the living species in the barn owl family, however the Tasmanian subspecies of the Australian masked owl is larger still. The females' length is 41 to 50 cm (16 to 20 in) and weighs 750 to 1,200 g (1.65 to 2.65 lb). The smaller male has a length of 37 to 43 cm (15 to 17 in) and weighs 500 to 700 g (1.1 to 1.5 lb). The wing length is 30–40 cm. The large dark eyes are set in a round large facial disk.
Where it lives
When to see it
The Sooty Owl can be seen all year round, with peak activity in November. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Sooty Owl?
- Greater sooty owls have a finely white spotted head with scattered white spots on the wings. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Sooty Owl?
- The Sooty Owl is a large sized bird weighing about 661 g.
- Where can you see a Sooty Owl?
- The Sooty Owl occurs in 3 countries, including Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.
- What birds look similar to a Sooty Owl?
- The Sooty Owl is most easily confused with the Australasian Masked Owl, the Eastern Grass Owl and the African Grass Owl.
Learn the Sooty Owl for real
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