ID Challenge September 8, 2020 P Plate by Sonja Ross
Who is this bird?
Solution:
Whoooo hasn’t heard the mopoke or boobook sound of this bird calling? Listen: https://wildambience.com/wildlife-sounds/australian-boobook/
Well done everyone as so many members knew that this was a Southern or Australian Boobook Ninox boobook, depending on which bird classification list you follow.
I came across these two unexpectedly sitting near each other in a native cherry tree just as I had nearly finished my walk. Apparently this is a species which varies quite a lot in colour from dark to fairly light, but it isn’t a way to distinguish sex or age from what I’ve been able to find out.
Eye colour is an important thing to check for id as this species has a greenish eye colour, whereas a Barking Owl has yellow eyes. In southern Victoria, there is a period of the year when it is thought that we have Tasmanian visitors which also have more yellow eyes.
There are 4 sub-species which usually have slightly different colourings.
Often a Boobook will be discovered because other birds have discovered it’s daytime hiding place, usually in fairly dense foliage, and be noisily attacking it as apparently Boobooks do take small birds roosting at night.
See more pics here: https://ebird.org/species/souboo8?siteLanguage=en_AU
Conservation status:
Currently considered secure throughout Australia http://www.birdlife.org.au/bird-profile/Southern-Boobook
Women Birders Australia 