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Masked Owl
Tyto novaehollandiae
Conservation Status
Vulnerable species in New South Wales (Threatened Species Conservation Act).
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What does it look like?They have three plumage forms – pale, intermediate and dark. The plumage pattern remains similar in each case. The facial disc is chestnut to white, edged with a darker ring and darker around the bill and below the eyes. The upper parts very from blackish-brown to grey-white and are liberally spotted with grey and white. The underparts are rufous to white, speckled with dark brown. Sexes are similar in plumage, but the females are markedly larger and generally darker than the males. (from Birds in Backyards) |
Where does it live?
The Masked Owl inhabits Australia, southern New Guinea and adjacent islands. Four subspecies are recognised in Australia: novaehollandiae in eastern and southern mainland Australia; kimberli in northern Australia; melvillensis on Melville and Bathurst Islands in the Northern Territory and castanops in Tasmania. Pittwater has only three old records for the species as the Masked Owl has a sparse distribution in north and north-west Sydney. These were from Avalon in 1935, Newport in 1965 and one pair recorded in 1974 at Warriewood throughout the year. The record states the pair attempted nesting however they did not have any success. A stronghold for the species is the Central Coast.
It’s a sedentary species and is mostly found in eucalypt forest and woodland, with a sparse mid-storey and where there is a mosaic of dense and open vegetation, including at ground cover level. Suitable open habitats include grassland, sedgeland, heathland, chenopod shrubland, saltmarsh, canegrass, wetlands and gardens. They also use ecotones between wet and dry eucalypt forest, along minor drainage lines and boundaries between cleared areas and forest. Such areas provide old, hollow-bearing eucalypts for roosting and nesting, and more open vegetation and forest edges for hunting. The vegetation mosaic may enhance prey density and diversity and hence foraging opportunities. A high density of tall mature trees providing roosting and breeding hollows is preferred by the Masked Owl. They also require a large territory of 500-1000 ha per pair in coastal forested areas, with neighbouring pairs well separated.
What does it eat and what is its life cycle?
They specialise in ground dwelling prey of the small to medium size range such as rats and rabbits, but will also take birds and arboreal or scansorial mammals. The Masked Owl is believed to be a stationary hunter, using a regular series of low perches within its territory to wait for prey, which it locates by sound. Prey appears to be taken in a slow deliberate attack rather than by pursuit. They will take introduced species which have moved into disturbed areas and this brings a different aspect into the management of the Masked Owl and its prey source.
They nest in large tree hollows, typically in old live eucalypts in moist, sheltered areas such as gullies and creeklines. The hollows usually have a vertical inclination. In New South Wales breeding occurs from late February to early October, commonly March to July, and one or two chicks are reared per pair. They also usually roost in tree hollows outside of breeding season but will occasionally roost in dense foliage of sub-canopy trees.
Updated: 18 Jul 2011
Related Links
- Masked Owl - Birds in Backyards Species Profile
- Masked Owl - DEC NSW Threatened Species Profile