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Eastern Grass Owl
(Tyto longimembris)
: "(Australasian) Grass Owl"
Size: 32-38 cm (male), 35-42 cm (female); wing span 1.0-1.15 m
Weight: 265-390 g (male), 310-480 g (female)
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Similar species |
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Physical description |
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Click here for a physical description
Eastern Grass Owls are small to medium-sized owls. Their
plumage is
dimorphic, i.e.
males and
females
are different.
Female
Eastern Grass Owls have a conspicuous, heart-shaped pale
facial mask with white and brown outer lining. The front is
rufous-brown, the back rufous and dark-brown with some white
specks.
Male
Eastern Grass Owls are paler overall, with a creamy facial
mask, a creamy front with sparse small dark specks and a
rufous and mid-brown back with white specks.
Both sexes have small black eyes, a light-grey bill and legs
that are half-way covered with feathers, while the lower half
and the legs are pinkish-grey.
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Twitcher's tip |
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They are distinguished from Eastern Barn Owls by their
much darker colours, both front and back. In-flight the most
conspicuous distinguishing criterion is the length of the legs,
which in Eastern Grass Owls trail well behind the tip of the
tail.
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See Eastern
Grass Owl at Wikipedia .
Click here for classification information
Previously, Eastern Grass Owls were considered to be race "longimembris"
of the "Grass Owl" (Tyto capensis), which is now called "African Grass
Owl".
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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Click here for information on habitat
and range
The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and
specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found,
based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to
ebird.org
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The global distribution of the Eastern Grass Owl is available
HERE
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The range of the Eastern Grass Owl extends from the southern
slopes of the Himalayas to eastern China southwards,
throughout south-eastern Asia (prominently in Taiwan and
the Philippines, but also in Myanmar, Vietnam and Cambodia)
to New Guinea and Australia.
There are three separate breeding populations of Eastern Grass Owls
in Australia. One resides in the Top End of the NT, another is found
along the East coast of QLD, from the tropic of Capricorn to almost
the tip of Cape York peninsula. The third, and most widespread,
population resides in the Paroo catchment, the Channel country
and in the Lake Eyre Basin, including most of western QLD, the
north-western tip of NSW, the north-eastern corner of SA and
the south-eastern part of the NT. During occasional widespread
dispersals Eastern Grass Owls can be found almost anywhere on
the Australian continent, with the exception of the far south-eastern
corner, i.e. the Great Dividing Range and associated coastal areas
of NSW (South of the Clarence River) and VIC (East of Melbourne).
Eastern Grass Owls have a strong preference for tall grass (including swampy areas and heath), reeds or crops (especially canefields).
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
A pair of Eastern Grass Owls was observed on a broadacre farm (private
property, no public access) 5 km South-East of Bellata, NSW, in October
2013, when the birds that had settled into wheat crop were disturbed by
the combine harvester (both birds escaped without injury).
A credible report has reached us of an independent sighting of a single
Eastern Grass Owl, ca. 10 km from the location of our sighting, in
October 2013.
Shortly later, in early November 2013, at the end of the harvest of
winter crops, only the female Eastern Grass Owl was seen at the
location where a pair had been found earlier.
A publication containing a more complete account of our sightings
is now available here (1.3 MB PDF).
In October/November 2015 a single male Eastern Grass Owl was again
spotted on and around the same farm, 5 km South-East of Bellata, NSW.
This time, the bird was not only flushed from its daytime roost,
but also seen hunting above the stubble of the harvested field
later the same night. Two weeks later, a female Eastern Grass Owl
was flushed from a creek gully at the same farm.
The farmer is certain that Eastern Grass Owls have been living on
his fields in
previous years too.
At almost the same time two more Eastern Grass Owls were flushed
during harvest on a farm about 10 km East of Edgeroi, NSW, some
10 km from the location of the sightings mentioned above. And two
more Eastern Grass Owls were spotted near Ashley, 20 km North of
Moree, also in November 2015.
Farmers (and others) who think they may have spotted Eastern Grass
Owls are encouraged to with
information.
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Photos |
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Not the photos you want? Or are you after even better quality? Have a
look here
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ADULT |
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MALE |
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Male Eastern Grass Owl sitting in wheat stubble, looking at the
photographer
[Near Bellata, NSW, October 2013]
Lateral view of a male Eastern Grass Owl sitting in wheat stubble
[Near Bellata, NSW, October 2013]
Near-dorsal view of a male Eastern Grass Owl sitting in wheat stubble
[Near Bellata, NSW, October 2013]
Male Eastern Grass Owl settling into wheat stubble after flying out of a
wheat field where it had been disturbed
[Near Bellata, NSW, October 2013]
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FEMALE |
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Lateral view of a female Eastern Grass Owl in flight; note
the very long, dangling legs
[Near Bellata, NSW, November 2013]
Lateral view of a female(?) Eastern Grass Owl in low flight above a wheat field
[Near Bellata, NSW, October 2013]
Near-dorsal view of a female Eastern Grass Owl in flight
[Near Bellata, NSW, November 2013]
Near-dorsal view of a female Eastern Grass Owl in flight, different
phase of the wing beat
[Near Bellata, NSW, November 2013]
Dorsal view of a female Eastern Grass Owl in flight
[Near Bellata, NSW, November 2015]
Eastern Grass Owl escaping the approaching combine harvester
[Near Bellata, NSW, October 2013]
This rather distant, back-illuminated view of an Eastern Grass Owl
provides the "jizz"
of the bird: blunt head, powerful wings, short tail and long, dangling
legs extending well beyond the tip of the tail
[Near Bellata, NSW, October 2013]
Social behaviour: Territorial? |
Mobility: Dispersive/irruptive |
Elementary unit: Solitary/pair |
(Eastern) Grass Owls have particularly long legs, an adaptation enabling
them to walk on the ground in tall grass. Astonishingly, they roost and
breed on the ground too. When disturbed, they will fly only a short
distance before dipping down into dense growth again.
View onto the upperwings of an Eastern Grass Owl in low flight, ready
to vanish in the wheat or just the remaining stubble
[Near Bellata, NSW, October 2013]
Female Eastern Grass Owl ducking for cover in sorghum
[Near Bellata, NSW, November 2015]
Here an impression of what was left at the end of harvest for an Eastern
Grass Owl to hide in - yet one cannot see the bird that has just landed
there at all
[Near Bellata, NSW, November 2013]
After the end of harvest of the winter crop, this was the only remaining
suitable habitat left for Eastern Grass Owls: a mixture of grass, reed and
weed growth in shallow, usually dry, creek beds or gullies
[Near Bellata, NSW, November 2013]
These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our
contributors.
The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species
please refer to a field guide.