Description
Large bird with variable plumage. Dark brown to light chestnut with white speckling. Three distinct colour morphs: light, intermediate and dark. Heart-shaped facial disk chestnut to white with dark margin, around bill and below eyes. Feathered legs. Females larger and darker in colour. 50 cm in total length.
Nest is a bare chamber inside a tree hollow, lined with soil, sand and mulch. Females incubate the 2-3 eggs, while males provide food. Nocturnal, with hunting taking place in the early hours of the night. Prey includes small mammals, other birds, reptiles and insects. The Tasmanian subspecies (T. castanops) is considered Endangered in Tasmanian threatened species legislation and Vulnerable in the equivalent Commonwealth legislation. A subspecies from the Tiwi Islands (T. melvillensis) is listed as Endangered in the Northern Territory.
Author credit: Nicole Zehntner / Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery
Habitat
Caves, woodlands and timbered waterways, in mature trees with suitable nesting hollows close to foraging areas.
Food
0
Range
Across Australia
Credits:
Map is from Atlas of Living Australia website at https://biocache.ala.org.au licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Species Description is from Museums Field Guide, Atlas of Living Australia at website at https://lists.ala.org.au Licensed under Creative Commons Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Classification
| Class: | Aves | | Order: | Strigiformes | | Family: | Tytonidae | | Genus: | Tyto | | Species: | novaehollandiae | | Common Name: | Masked Owl |
Relatives in same Genus
Barn Owl (T. alba)
Grass Owl (T. capensis)
Lesser Sooty Owl (T. multipunctata)
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