"Black owl" redirects here. For the comic-book superhero, see Black Owl.
| Greater Sooty Owl | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Strigiformes |
| Family: | Tytonidae |
| Genus: | Tyto |
| Species: | T. tenebricosa |
| Binomial name | |
| Tyto tenebricosa Gould, 1845 |
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| Subspecies | |
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T. tenebricosa arfaki |
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| The Distribution of the Greater Sooty Owl | |
The Sooty Owl (Tyto tenebricosa), also known as the Greater Sooty Owl, is a medium to large owl found in south-eastern Australia, Montane rainforests of New Guinea and have been seen on Flinders Island in the Bass Strait. They have a finely white spotted head with scattered white spots on the wings. The females are lighter colored than the males. The females length is 37–43 cm and weighs 750-1000 gm. The male is smaller and length is 37–43 cm and weighs 500-700 gm. The wing length is 30–40 cm. The large dark eyes are set in a round large facial disk. The facial disk is dark gray silver or sooty black and has a heavy black edge. The upper part of the owl is black to dark gray and the under part is lighter. Their call is a piercing shriek which can last up to two seconds. The tail is short and the legs are feathered large black talons. They are nocturnal and hide in hollow tree trunks, caves and in tall trees with heavy foliage.
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They are nocturnal and hide in hollow tree trunks, caves and in tall trees with heavy foliage during daylight hours. Rarely seen or heard they are territorial and can be found in areas with deep gullies in eucalyptus forests, where smooth-barked gum trees, tree ferns and tropical fruit trees are present. They hunt in drier areas but roost and breed in the moister areas. They feed on mammals ranging from large arboreal marsupials such as the Greater Glider, through Ringtail Possums and Sugar Gliders to bandicoots, rodents and antechinus. They occasionally take birds and insects. Sooty Owls are territorial and remain in the same area throughout their adult lives. Sooty owls have a distinctive range of calls including typical barn owl like rasps and screams, a distinctive "falling bomb" call and an insect like twitter used during territorial confrontations.
The nest is in a large hollow tree or a cave. The female remains in the nest for several weeks before she lays one or two dull white eggs from January through June. The incubation time is 42 days. The males brings food to the female who rarely leaves the nest. The young are born with dull grey down and can fly in three orial and sedentary throughout the year.
Their status is not globally threatened.
Sooty Owls are not listed as threatened on the Australian Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. However, their conservation status varies from state to state within Australia. For example: