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326:(2.8 lb) with a wingspan of up to 129 centimetres (51 in). Their plumage is mainly a variable combination of browns and greys, generally darker than the other Australian subspecies. Their upper parts are dark brown to pale chestnut, with white speckling. Females are considerably darker, as well as larger, than the males, ranging from 43 to 57 centimetres (17 to 22 in) in length, compared with the males’ 35 to 42 centimetres (14 to 17 in). They have broad, black-bordered, buff to chestnut facial discs, and fully feathered legs with powerful feet and long talons.
80:
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309:"Forests of large but thinly scattered trees, skirting plains and open districts, constitute its natural habitat. Strictly nocturnal in its habits, as night approaches it sallies forth from the hollows of the large gum-trees, and flaps slowly and noiselessly over the plains and swamps in search of its prey, which consists of rats and small quadrupeds generally."
353:
and adjoining areas of agricultural land. Preferred habitat is areas close to the forest edge, containing a mosaic of understorey components. They require large old-growth trees with capacious hollows for nesting. The home range of a breeding pair may be more than 10 km (3.9 sq mi);
508:
and rabbits in agricultural areas, and marsupials and native birds in less disturbed habitats. They often hunt from perches using sound to detect prey, which is usually taken on the ground by striking with the feet and using the talons to pierce and kill.
517:
Among their calls, Tasmanian masked owls utter a loud, rich, hissing or rasping screech, the call of the female being deeper and harsher than that of the male. They also snap their beaks loudly as a warning against perceived threats.
304:"…a species distinguished from all the other members of its genus by its great size and powerful form. Probably few of the Raptorial birds, with the exception of the Eagles, are more formidable or more sanguinary in disposition."
64:
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birds. They roost during the day, usually in trees in dense foliage or hollows, as well as in rocky overhangs and caves, and occasionally in farm sheds and other open buildings.
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suitable for breeding. An important conservation need is to maintain nesting habitat in production forests. It is also threatened by competition for nest hollows by
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Between
December 1922 and October 1930 almost 100 masked owls, mostly from Tasmania, were introduced to Lord Howe Island in an unsuccessful attempt to control
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may remain in the vicinity of the nest for several weeks. Breeding is seasonal with most eggs laid in spring from late
October to early November.
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539:, because of its small population (estimated at about 1330 breeding birds, or 615 pairs) as well as ongoing habitat loss, especially of
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292:, meaning "chestnut-faced", comes from the colouring of the facial disc. It was first described by John Gould (as
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Anon. (10 October 2002). Threatened Fauna Manual for
Production Forests in Tasmania – Masked Owl (draft).
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for about 42 days before hatching. The chicks are covered in, at first, white, then creamy down, and
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These owls hunt at night, preying on a wide range of animals, from insects to mammals as large as
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Handbook of
Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Volume 4: Parrots to Dollarbird
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by Miss Audrey Lee. However, the first detailed account of such an achievement is by
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owl in the world, and is sometimes considered a full species. The subspecific name
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Tasmanian masked owls are not only large, but robust. They closely resemble a
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338:, where it has been recorded throughout the state, with the exception of the
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with a floor of decaying wood debris. The female is fed by the male while
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areas identified as important for breeding include the east coast between
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Pizzey, Graham; Knight, Frank; Menkhorst, Peter, eds. (2003).
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and the mid-north coast, as well as fragmented patches in the
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These owls are secretive, relatively silent, and strictly
322:, however are many times larger. Females weigh up to 1.26
732:. Melbourne: Oxford University Press. pp. 908–930.
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Gould, John (1837). "Characters of three New
Species of
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Garnett, Stephen T. & Crowley, Gabriel M. (2000).
794:. Canberra: Environment Australia. pp. 377–378.
686:. Melbourne: Lansdowne Press. pp. 62–64 (vol.1).
659:(7th ed.). Sydney: HarperCollins. p. 306.
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and the north-east coast. It has been recorded from
887:
753:Fleay, David (1949). "The Tasmanian Masked Owl".
385:The owl has also been successfully introduced to
604:(Tasmanian population) – Masked Owl (Tasmanian)"
638:Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London
464:Anecdotally, Tasmanian masked owls were first
531:The Tasmanian masked owl is considered to be
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817:Birds of Lord Howe Island - Past and Present
457:in 10–12 weeks. Fledged owls with traces of
334:The natural range of the owl is limited to
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657:The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia
788:The Action Plan for Australian Birds 200
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849:Friends of Lord Howe Island Newsletter
537:Threatened Species Protection Act 1995
504:. Their main diet includes introduced
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608:Species Profile and Threats Database
342:. The owls inhabit both wet and dry
870:The Owl Pages: Tasmanian Masked Owl
683:Handbook to the Birds of Australia
298:Handbook to the Birds of Australia
14:
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582:, and is culled when possible.
919:Tyto novaehollandiae castanops
602:Tyto novaehollandiae castanops
254:Tyto novaehollandiae castanops
198:Tyto novaehollandiae castanops
1:
612:Department of the Environment
296:), who wrote about it in his
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257:) is a bird in the barn owl
728:Higgins, P.J., ed. (1999).
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1031:Endemic birds of Tasmania
1021:EPBC Act vulnerable biota
819:. Coffs Harbour: Author.
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75:Scientific classification
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330:Distribution and habitat
1036:Birds described in 1837
522:Status and conservation
476:, who bred them at the
268:to the island state of
166:T. novaehollandiae
401:between Australia and
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680:Gould, John (1972) .
478:Healesville Sanctuary
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282:Australian masked owl
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24:Tasmanian masked owl
842:"Masked Owls culled"
840:Hutton, Ian (2006).
815:Hutton, Ian (1991).
535:under the Tasmanian
429:These owls breed as
276:. It is the largest
249:Tasmanian masked owl
180:T. n. castanops
576:Lord Howe currawong
45:Conservation status
708:2009-09-13 at the
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16:Subspecies of bird
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881:Taxon identifiers
572:Lord Howe woodhen
541:old-growth forest
502:brushtail possums
466:bred in captivity
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615:. Retrieved
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443:tree hollows
437:pairs. They
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174:Subspecies:
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132:Strigiformes
18:
913:Wikispecies
552:kookaburras
474:David Fleay
468:in 1945 in
431:territorial
403:New Zealand
391:subtropical
314:Description
226:Gould, 1837
1015:Categories
644:(48): 140.
586:References
568:black rats
533:endangered
498:bandicoots
470:Launceston
447:incubating
435:monogamous
399:Tasman Sea
340:south-west
278:subspecies
60:Vulnerable
484:in 1946.
441:in large
419:nocturnal
413:Behaviour
351:woodlands
324:kilograms
290:castanops
274:Australia
262:Tytonidae
160:Species:
142:Tytonidae
98:Kingdom:
92:Eukaryota
972:10217798
933:22688484
928:BirdLife
904:Q2395130
898:Wikidata
706:Archived
617:10 April
580:seabirds
527:Tasmania
482:Victoria
425:Breeding
360:St Marys
344:eucalypt
336:Tasmania
320:barn owl
270:Tasmania
264:that is
215:Synonyms
138:Family:
112:Chordata
108:Phylum:
102:Animalia
88:Domain:
65:EPBC Act
959:5232416
556:possums
506:rodents
494:rabbits
488:Feeding
397:in the
364:Derwent
347:forests
280:of the
266:endemic
208:, 1837)
148:Genus:
128:Order:
118:Class:
67:)
63: (
998:507984
985:555356
823:
798:
736:
663:
455:fledge
362:, the
356:Hobart
259:family
243:Female
967:IRMNG
946:59ZVT
845:(PDF)
792:(PDF)
634:Strix
545:feral
513:Voice
376:Maria
206:Gould
38:Male
1026:Tyto
993:NCBI
980:ITIS
954:GBIF
821:ISBN
796:ISBN
734:ISBN
661:ISBN
619:2015
574:and
554:and
548:bees
500:and
459:down
451:eggs
439:nest
433:and
389:, a
378:and
366:and
358:and
300:as:
286:Tyto
247:The
153:Tyto
122:Aves
941:CoL
765:doi
756:Emu
636:".
480:in
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853:19
851:.
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777:^
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251:(
204:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
