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Old World OWLS

Order Strigiformes Family Strigidae


Owls are found on all continents except Antarctica. Owls are divided into two families: the typical owls, Strigidae; and the barn-owls, Tytonidae. They range in size from 13-70 cm. Owls do not construct nests, but rather look for a sheltered nesting site or an abandoned nest in trees, underground burrows, or in buildings, barns and caves.

Owls are solitary and nocturnal. They hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds though a few species specialize in hunting fish. Most hunt for prey only in the darkness. Much of the owls' hunting strategy depends on stealth and surprise. They are very quiet in flight plus they have dull colors. Owls have large forward-facing eyes and ear-holes, a hawk-like beak, a flat face, and usually a conspicuous circle of feathers around each eye. The facial disc helps to funnel the sound of prey to their ears. Although owls have binocular vision, their large eyes are fixed in their sockets, as with other birds, and they must turn their entire head to change views. Owls can rotate their heads and necks as much as 270 degrees in either direction. The female is usually larger than the male.


Owl species can be found on these web pages:
New World Owls, Old World OwlsOwl_Pacific, Barn Owls, Eagle-Owls, Pygmy-Owls, Scops-Owls


Genus Nesasio - 1 species

Owl,_Fearful  Nesasio solomonensis  Found: New Guinea, Solomon Islands
The Fearful Owl has mottled brown upperparts; oche underparts with blackish streaks; rufous facial disk with distinct white eyebrows.
Image by: 1) J_del_Hoyo



Genus Ninox
Ninox is a genus of owls comprising about 20 species found in Asia and Australasia. Many species are known as hawk owls or boobooks.

Boobook,_Andaman  also  Andaman Owl   Ninox affinis  Found: India
Image by: 1) Balaji Venkatesh  2) Albinjacob


Boobook,_Brown  also  Brown Hawk-Owl  Ninox scutulata   Found: south Asia, Indonesia
The Brown Hawk-Owl has dark brown upperparts; whitish between eyes; brown patches and streaks on underparts; yellow eyes.
Image by: 1, 2) Vijay Ismavel  3) Hyashi Haka


Boobook,_Camiguin  also  Camiquin Hawk-Owl  Ninox leventisi  Found: Camiguin Sur (Philippines)
Image by: 1) Bob_Hutchinson - Camiguin Sur, Philippines


Boobook,_Cebu  also  Cebu Hawk-Owl  Ninox rumseyi  Found: Cebu (Philippines)
Image by: 1) Yann_Muzika


Boobook, Chocolate  Ninox randi  Found: the Philippines
Image by: 1) Marcel Holyoak


Boobook,_Christmas_Island  Ninox natalis  Found: Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean
The Christmas Island Boobook has rufous-brown plumage; chestnut facial mask; whitish supercilium; barred breast; yellow legs.
Image by: 1) Charles_Andrews  2) Cherry_Wong


Boobook,_Cinnabar  Ninox ios  Found: Sulawesi (Indonesia)
Image by: 1) Filip_Verbelen  2) Rob_Hutchinson


Boobook,_Halmahera  Ninox hypogramma  Found: Indonesia
Image by: 1) John_Gerrard_Keulemans  2) Pete_Morris


Boobook,_Hantu  Ninox squamipila  Found: Moluccas islands (Indonesia)
Image by: 1) John_Gerrard_Keulemans  2) Dubi_Shapiro - Maluku, Indonesia


Boobook,_Hume's  also Hume's Hawk-Owl  Ninox obscura  Found: Andaman Islands (east of India, west of Myanmar)
Image by: 1) Savithri_Singh  2) Balaji_Venkatesh_Sivaramakrishnan 


Boobook,_Least  also Little Sumba Hawk-Owl  Ninox sumbaensis  Found: Sumba (Indonesia)
Image by: 1) Yann_Muzika


Boobook,_Luzon  also  Luzon Hawk-Owl  Ninox philippensis  Found: Philippines
The Luzon Boobook has brown upperparts; brown wings with white spots; pale white underparts with brown streaks; olive bill; pale yellow feet.
Image by: 1) Philippine_Postal_Corporation  2) Ramon_Quisumbing


Boobook,_Manus  Ninox meeki  Found: Manus Island (north of New Guinea)
The Manus Boobook has an unmarked brown facial disk; rufous crown, back; barred white flight feathers and tail, whitish underparts with rufous streaking
Image by: 1) Geoff_Jones


Boobook,_Mindanao  also Mindanao Hawk-Owl  Ninox spilocephala  Found: Philippines
Image by: 1) Francis_Yap - Mindanao


Boobook,_Mindoro  also Mindoro Hawk-Owl  Ninox mindorensis  Found: Mindoro (Philippines)
Image by: 1) Blake_Matheson  2)_ James_Eaton


Boobook,_New_Britain  Ninox odiosa  Found: New Britain Island (New Guinea)
The New Britain Boobook has spotted chocolate-brown upperparts; white supercilium; whitish underparts with dark streaks; golden eyes.
Image by: 1) David_Cook


Boobook,_Northern  Ninox japonica  Found: China, Japan, Korea, Russia, Taiwan
Image by: 1) watch-bird.blogspot 


Boobook,_Ochre-bellied also  Ochre-bellied Hawk-Owl  Ninox ochracea  Found: Indonesia
Image by: 1) Francesco Veronesi - Sulawesi, Indonesia  2) Ian_Banner


Boobook,_Papaun  Ninox theomacha  Found: New Guinea
Image by: 1) Katerina_Tvardikova  2) R_Straatman


Boobook,_Romblon  also Romblon Hawk-Owl  Ninox spilonotus  Found: Philippines
Image by: 1) Marc_Thibault - Tablas Island, Philippines


Boobook,_Solomons Ninox jacquinoti  Found: Solomon Islands
The Solomons Boobook has rusty-brown upperparts (sometimes spotted or barred white) ;buffy white breast (sometimes spotted with brown); creamy belly.
Image by: 1) Katerina_Tvardikova  2) Salvatore Chamu


Booboo,_Southern   Ninox novaeseelandiae   Found: Australia, New Zealand
Image by: 1) Hase - Queenstown's Kiwi Birdlife Park  2) Aviceda - Warkworth, New Zealand   3) David Cook - Wamboin, NSW, Australia  4) Oystercatcher  5) MagdelinaB



Boobook,_Spectacled  also  Spectacled Hawk-Owl  Ninox punctulata  Found: Indonesia
Image by: 1) Francesco Veronesi - Sulawesi, Indonesia


Boobook,_Sulu  also Sulu Hawk-Owl  Ninox reyi  Found: Philippines
Image by: 1) Rob_Hutchinson


Boobook, Sumba  Ninox rudolfi  Found: Indonesia
Image by: 1) John Gerard Keulemans  2) nolarfryar


Boobook,_Tanimbar  Ninox forbesi  Found: Tanimbar Islands (Indonesia)
Image by: 1) Charles_Davies


Boobook,_Togian  Ninox burhani  Found: Togian islands off the coast of Sulawesi, Indonesia.
Image by: 1, 2) M_Indrawan


Owl,_Barking Ninox connivens   Found: Australia
The Barking Owl has brown-gray upperparts with white spots on wing coverts; white underparts with brown-gray streaks; yellow eyes; no facial disk.
Image by: 1) Julie Edgley  2) Ed Hunsinger  3) dayvayen  4) David Monro


Owl,_Powerful  Ninox strenua  Found: Australia
The aptly named Powerful Owl has gray-brown plumage with V-barring on all features; dull yellow feet. It is the largest "hawk-owl".
Image by: 1) Tony Morris - Sydney  2) David_Lochlin  3) Charlie Westerinen - Sydney Zoo


Owl,_Rufous  Ninox rufa  Found: Australia, New Guinea
The Rufous Owl has reddish-brown upperparts with scattered brown barring; brown face; rufous underparts with cream barring; yellow eyes.
Image by: 1) Charlie Westerinen - Featherdale sanctuary in Australia  2) Lip Kee  3) Tony_Morris  4) Graham_Winterflood


Owl,_White-browed Hawk-  slso  White-browed Owl  Ninox superciliaris  Found: Madagascar
The White-browed Hawk-Owl has brown upperparts; white spotsd on crown, mantle, wing coverts; buff underparts with dark brown barring; barring faint along middle line of underparts.;
Image by: 1) Franciso Veronesi  2) David Cook 




Genus Pyrroglaux - 1 species

Owl,_Palau  Pyrroglaux podargina  Found: Palau Islands (northwest of New Guinea)
Image by: 1) Mandy_E



Genus Uroglaux - 1 species

Owl,_Papuan_Hawk-   Uroglaux dimorpha   Found: New Guinea
The Papuan Hawk-Owl has brown upperparts with barring; small head; white facial disk finely streaked black; buff underparts; yellow eyes.
Image by: 1) Katerina_Tvardikova  2) Leaubellon







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