Australian Masked-Owl — Australian Bird Identification Guide

Bird guideAustralian Masked-Owl

Roosts in caves and tree hollows by day; its heart-shaped facial disc channels sound to asymmetrical ears for pinpoint hunting.

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⚠️VIC: Vulnerable; QLD: Endangered; NT: Critically Endangered

🚫Sensitive species — location data may be restricted

At a glance

FamilyBarn-Owls

SizeMedium

RarityCommon

HabitatMussau barn owl (Tyto cf. novaehollandiae) found in Mussau New Ireland greater barn owl (Tyto cf. novaehollandiae) found in New Ireland New Ireland lesser barn owl (Tyto cf. alba/aurantiaca) found in New Ireland New Caledonian barn owl (Tyto letocarti) found in New Caledonia - tentatively placed here Puerto Rican barn owl (Tyto cavatica) found in Puerto Rico - may still have existed up to 1912; possibly a subspecies of the ashy-faced owl (Tyto glaucops) Noel's barn owl (Tyto noeli) found in Cuba Rivero's barn owl (Tyto riveroi) found in Cuba Cuban barn owl (Tyto sp.) found in Cuba Hispaniolan barn owl (Tyto ostologa) found in Hispaniola Bahaman barn owl (Tyto pollens) found in Little Exuma, New Providence, and maybe Andros Island, the Bahamas - may have survived into the 16th century Barbuda barn owl (Tyto neddi) found in Barbuda and possibly Antigua Maltese barn owl (Tyto melitensis) found in Malta - formerly in Strix; possibly a paleosubspecies of Tyto alba

Best timeReported across most months in New South Wales, with no narrow seasonal peak.

Sounds

Sound sample

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Recorded by Marc Anderson

Range map

Occurrence window

1079visible hotspots

3800visible records

6states

Low confidenceMediumHigh confidence

Aggregated occurance data is sourced from 14 different actively-updating datasets including eBird Australia, iNaturalist Australia, BirdLife Australia, and multiple state-based bird surveys through Atlas of Living Australia.

Species notes

Overview

Variable in size and color, ranging from larger, browner birds in Tasmania through to smaller, paler birds in northwestern Australia. This species is generally larger, darker, larger-legged, and more heavily spotted than Barn Owl.

Behavior

Nests in a variety of habitats; requires hollows of very large trees for nest sites, and these may be in both drier and wetter forest types. Call includes a loud explosive hiss.

Gallery