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Barking Owl
Ninox connivens
Conservation Status
Vulnerable species in New South Wales (Threatened Species Conservation Act).
What does it look like?
They are a medium-sized hawk-owl. The adults 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. The younger Barking Owls have less streaking on the underparts and are mottled white and grey-brown on the rear of the neck. (from Birds In Backyards)
Where does it live?
They inhabit eucalypt forest and woodland, usually on fairly fertile soils. Barking Owls seem to prefer open woodland vegetation and forest margins, rather than forest interiors. Timbered rivers and creek lines are a favoured habitat, especially inland, but also in coastal regions. The birds roost by day in trees or tall shrubs. Although they often roost in eucalypts, preference is given to more densely foliaged trees and shrubs when these are available.
Barking Owls are widely distributed over the Australian mainland, but are absent from central Australia and Tasmania. They also occur in New Guinea and adjacent islands. There are two subspecies in Australia: connivens in southern Australia and peninsularis in northern Australia. Records are present for Sydney in earlier years however there were none from 1903 to 1973. After 1973 there has been a number of records from various sites around Sydney, particularly the northern suburbs and the northern parts of the Cumberland Plain, and breeding has been confirmed.
Pittwater Population
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1978 - Calls at Avalon and Deep Creek in September/October
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1993 – Sighted in eucalypt woodland near Pittwater Council nursery at Ingleside in December
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1998 – Sighted numerous times on Scotland Island from January to March
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1999 – Sighted at Palm Beach in April, Scotland Island in late winter, Warriewood Wetland and south of Taylors Point.
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2003 - 2007 – Numerous records in Church Point/Bayview
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2008 – Recorded in Elanora Heights.
What does it eat?
They are a generalised and adaptable nocturnal predator, with wide dietary flexibility that probably varies according to local prey availability. It feeds mainly on birds and ground-dwelling mammals, but also takes many insects. A notable feature on the diet, compared with other large Australian owls, is the frequency of birds and insects as prey items. Introduced mammals and birds are major prey items in some areas. Typical mammalian prey include the European Rabbit, Sugar Glider, bats and Black Rat, while typical bird prey include the Galah, Common Starling and Eastern Rosella. Insects are a predominant component of the diet outside breeding season and more birds and mammals are taken during breeding.
What is its life cycle?
They are dependent on hollows in old eucalypts or angophoras for nest sites and usually select hollow in live trees rather than dead trees. Strictly a seasonal breeder, they raise a single brood per year of one to three young. In New South Wales most eggs are laid in late winter and early spring, mainly August to October. The incubation period is about 36 days. The chicks fledge at about seven weeks, but remain dependent on the adults until late summer. In Victoria, Barking Owls were located in sites with higher density of larger trees (>60cm) and with a higher density of tree hollows of a range of sizes, including those suitable for nesting. Sites were also more closely associated with hydrological features.Updated: 05 Jul 2011
Related Links
- Barking Owl - Birds in Backyads Species Profile