Nocturnal Birds of Prey

The following field guide has been developed to assist in the correct identification of Australian nocturnal birds of prey.


Please note that while all best efforts have been made to ensure the pictures provided are labelled accurately, we are always happy to stand corrected! In addition, if you have original, high-quality photographs of any species you’d be willing to share on this page, please get in touch.

Australian Boobook

Australian Boobook

Ninox boobook
Australian Masked Owl

Australian Masked Owl

Tyto novaehollandiae
Barking Owl

Barking Owl

Ninox connivens
Christmas Boobook / Christmas Island Hawk-owl

Christmas Boobook / Christmas Island Hawk-owl

Ninox natalis
Eastern Barn Owl

Eastern Barn Owl

Tyto alba
Grass Owl

Grass Owl

Tyto longimembris
Greater Sooty Owl

Greater Sooty Owl

Tyto tenebricosa
Lesser Sooty Owl

Lesser Sooty Owl

Tyto multipunctata
Powerful Owl

Powerful Owl

Ninox strenua
Rufous Owl

Rufous Owl

Ninox rufa
Tasmanian Boobook

Tasmanian Boobook

Ninox leucopsis

References

The Australian Museum (2023). Bird Factsheets. https://australian.museum/learn/animals/birds/

Birdlife Australia (2023). Find a Bird. http://birdlife.org.au/

Debus, S. (2019). Birds of Prey of Australia: A field guide (3rd ed.). CSIRO Publishing.

Lewis, D. (1998, Oct 26). The Owl Pages. https://www.owlpages.com/owls/species.php?s=230

Morcombe, M. K. (2004). Field Guide to Australian Birds (2nd ed.). Steve Parish Publishing.