The Boobook Owl, also called the
mopoke or morepork, is a small brown
owl found mainly in New Zealand and
the more fertile & temperate parts of
Australia. It occurs in most habitats
with trees, ranging from deep tropical
forests to isolated stands of trees at
the edges of arid zones, but is most
common in temperate woodland.
Boobooks are usually seen alone,
in pairs, or in small family groups of
an adult pair and up to three young.
They are mainly nocturnal, sometimes
active at dawn & dusk and
in New Zealand, during the day.
Although their main hunting technique
is surprise, they are agile birds with a
swift wing action and the ability to
manoeuvre rapidly when pursuing prey
or hawking for insects. Making it's
nest in holes in trees, the female lays
between 2-5 eggs which are incubated
for 31-35 days. The young fledge at
about 5 weeks but remain with the
parents for a further 2-3 months.
