Powerful Owl
A species of Asian and Australasian Hawk-owls and Boobooks Scientific name : Ninox strenua Genus : Asian and Australasian Hawk-owls and Boobooks
Powerful Owl, A species of Asian and Australasian Hawk-owls and Boobooks
Botanical name: Ninox strenua
Genus: Asian and Australasian Hawk-owls and Boobooks
Content
Description General Info
Description
The powerful owl has a long tail and a small head, lending it an atypical silhouette for an owl and imparting a more hawk-like appearance than any other large owl. The protruding bill and distinct brow ridges enhance the hawk-like appearance of the species. The facial disc is ill-defined. The upperparts are a dark grey-brown colour, mottled and barred with whitish. The underparts are white with bold grey-brown V-shaped barring. The tail has six narrow white bars contrasting with grey-brown. This species has large yellow eyes, with greyish feathering down to the base of the toes and feet of a dull yellow color. They are aptly named, with very powerful and heavy claws. This owl is the largest species of the "hawk owl" group found in much of Asia and the Australasian region, all included in the genus Ninox. It can be considered, along with its sister species the rufous owl (Ninox rufa), as Australia's analogue to the genus Bubo. This species measures 45 to 65 cm (18 to 26 in) in length and spans 112 to 135 cm (44 to 53 in) across the wings. Unlike in a vast majority of owl species, the male is slightly larger than the female on average. Body mass in males has been reported at 0.99 to 2.22 kg (2.2 to 4.9 lb), with 13 males averaging 1.45 kg (3.2 lb), while females can weigh from 1.04 to 1.6 kg (2.3 to 3.5 lb), with an average in 9 females of 1.25 kg (2.8 lb). Among all the owls in the world, the powerful owl is the ninth longest from bill-to-tail, the tenth heaviest and the eighth longest winged. Its body mass is about the same on average as the great horned owl (Bubo virginianus), but it has a proportionately much longer tail and wings than that species. The wing chord length further illustrates slight sexual dimorphism in favor of the male, with the male measuring 397 to 434 mm (15.6 to 17.1 in) and the female measuring 381 to 410 mm (15.0 to 16.1 in). The tail can be 280 mm (11 in) or more in length, the fifth longest of any owl with only the great grey (Strix nebulosa) and ural owls (Strix uralensis) having proportionately longer tails. As a relatively geographically restricted species, there are no subspecies and no known geographic variation in the powerful owl. In comparison to the barking owl (Ninox connivens), it is much larger and lacks that species' white-spotted smoky-brown coloration on the upperparts and dark grey to rusty streaks on a whitish background on the underside. The other larger and relatively powerful owl found in Australia, the rufous owl, is not found in the same range in the wild so poses no identification problem. 
Size
45 - 60 cm
Feeding Habits
Powerful Owl primarily consumes arboreal marsupials, including greater gliders, possums, and occasionally koalas, with prey size often exceeding 20% of its own weight. It hunts at night, capturing prey in trees, and may dismember or cache excess food. Diet also includes flying foxes, birds, and insects.
Habitat
Powerful Owl primarily resides in a range of tall forests, from humid to drier woodlands. These environments include wooded mountain gullies, forested ravines, sub-coastal ranges, and coastal forests, with a preference for wetter areas rich in Eucalyptus. Ideal habitats feature streams between ridges, offering a suitable nesting territory. Although typically associated with sub-coastal forests, the species is also found inland on mountain slopes. They adapt to a variety of human-altered landscapes such as pine plantations and urban parks. Powerful Owl avoids extensive rainforests but may use gullies within them. It also exploits edge, regrowth habitats, and mangroves, with an elevation range extending from sea level to 1,500 meters.
Dite type
Carnivorous
General Info
Feeding Habits
Bird Feeder Type
Platform
Behavior
The powerful owl lives permanently in breeding pairs once in adulthood. They've been observed roosting singly, in pairs and in family groups of 3 or 4. They frequently roost during the day on branches in tall, open trees, often while still holding the prey caught the prior night. Several perches are used and may be occupied intermittently for years at a time. The powerful owl typically flies in a slow and deliberate way on its large wings.
Distribution Area
Range is from Eungella and the Dawson River in Queensland south to the central highlands of Victoria and west to Mount Burr in South Australia, the range terminating around Portland, Victoria. The habitat of the powerful owl is tall, humid forests ranging through to some drier woodlands in northern Victoria and the western slopes of New South Wales and Queensland. They can be found in wooded mountain gullies, forested ravines, wetter, heavily timbered sub-coastal ranges, coastal forests and woodland, and coastal scrub. They prefer wetter, more timbered areas such as sclerophyll forests. Although usually associated with subcoastal forest, they can be found on inland mountain slopes occasionally. This is especially the case with young owls post dispersal before they can establish their own breeding territory. Recent mapping work has shown that streams between ridges covered with Eucalyptus forest are often prime habitat for this species. They will also occasionally range into plantations, mainly of pine or native tree species, and urban and rural parks and gardens.
Species Status
Powerful 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 in Australia. For example: The powerful owl is listed as "threatened" on the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act (1988). Under this Act, an Action Statement for the recovery and future management of this species has been prepared. On the 2013 advisory list of threatened vertebrate fauna in Victoria, the powerful owl is listed as vulnerable. On the New South Wales Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 the powerful owl is scheduled as "Vulnerable". These owls do not do as well in heavily developed areas or in monocultures even if the plantation is made up of a native tree. This is largely because its prey is dependent on native and diverse forests.
Scientific Classification
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