What do barking owls eat

Barking owls are ambush predators! They fly without making a sound, have powerful talons and keen vision, perfect for locating unsuspecting prey. On the menu for barking owls are insects, reptiles, birds and mammals as large as possums. Australia-wide they are well represented in the wild. However, instead of mayhem, it was simply the alarm call of the Barking Owl, which may be repeated at intervals of several seconds or several minutes.

The Barking Owl is a medium-sized hawk-owl. Hawk-owls lack the definite heart-shaped face of the tyto-owls which include the Barn Owl, Tyto alba. There are two subspecies of Barking Owl. Ninox connivens connivens occurs in eastern, south-eastern and south-western Australia and N. Adult Barking Owls are grey-brown above, with white spots on the wings, and whitish below, heavily streaked with grey-brown.

The head is almost entirely grey-brown, and the eyes are large and yellow. Young Barking Owls have less streaking on the underparts and are mottled white and grey-brown on the rear of the neck. Barking Owls are nocturnal birds night birds , although they may sometimes be seen hunting during the day.

The similarly plumaged Southern Boobook, N. The Southern Boobook is also smaller, measuring 28 to 36 cm. Barking Owls are found in open woodlands and the edges of forests, often adjacent to farmland. They are less likely to use the interior of forested habitat. They are usually found in habitats that are dominated by eucalytpus species, particularly red gum, and, in the tropics, paperbark species.

They prefer woodlands and forests with a high density of large trees and particularly sites with hollows that are used by the owls as well as their prey. Roost sites are often located near waterways or wetlands. The Barking Owl feeds on a variety of small to medium-sized mammals, birds, reptiles and insects.

Diet is largely insects during the non-breeding season, with larger prey more commonly taken when breeding. Prey is located either from the air or from an exposed perch.

Most hunting is performed in the first few hours of the night and the last hours before dawn. Occasionally, birds may even be seen hunting in daylight. The Barking Owl prefers to hunt in clearings, including waterways and other open areas.

Barking Owls raise a single brood in a season. They will only breed in tree hollows which are increasingly rare. These may be cut down with a new suitable hollow taking years to form.

Hollows are also inhabited by non-native European honeybees. Their prey species are also diminishing as a result of the loss of tree hollows. Further to this they face competition from introduced foxes and cats for these food sources. Some populations have begun to replace native prey with introduced rabbits and as control measures for these are carried out they lose a valuable food source.

Humans affect their population through secondary poisoning from their food items, getting caught in barbed wire fences and vehicle collisions. The Australian Museum. Barking Owl. Birdlife Australia. Barking Owl Birdlife Australia. Environment Department of Environment and Science.

BirdLife International. Ninox connivens. Downloaded on 05 September We share awesome animal content daily. Exact matches only.

Search in title. Barking Owls raise a single brood in a season. The nest site is an open hollow in a tree trunk, loosely lined with sticks and other wood debris. The female incubates the eggs, while the male supplies the food. Young Barking Owls remain dependent on their parents for several months, and will remain in the family group until a few months before the next breeding season. The Australian Museum respects and acknowledges the Gadigal people as the First Peoples and Traditional Custodians of the land and waterways on which the Museum stands.

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Learn more. Identification The Barking Owl is a medium-sized hawk-owl.