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13

Greater Sooty Owl (Tyto tenebricosa) Size: 37-50 cm (male 37-43 cm); wing span 0.85-1.15 m Weight: 500-700 g (male), 750-1200 g (female)

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Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Greater Sooty Owls are the largest of the Tyto owls in Australia. They are dark, sooty grey, with a prominent, heart-shaped facial mask. The face is mid-grey, while the fringe of the facial mask is dark-grey. Front, back and upperwings are dark sooty grey, with tiny silvery-grey spots. The short, sturdy legs are feathered mid-grey, with faint darker grey rings. The irises are black. The bill is light-grey, the talons are dark-grey.

Taxonomy, classification See Greater Sooty Owl at Wikipedia . Click here for classification information Most authorities have now given the Lesser Sooty Owl (Tyto multipunctata") full species status, separate from the Greater Sooty Owl.

Range, habitat, finding this species 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 . The global distribution of the Greater Sooty Owl is available HERE . Greater Sooty Owls are found in West Papua, New Guinea and Australia. In Australia, the Greater Sooty Owl occurs from just northward of Brisbane, QLD, along the South-east coastal and near-coastal fringe, all the way to Melbourne, VIC (except Wilson's Promontory). Their distribution along the coastal fringe of QLD is patchy, with a concentration in the tablelands around Cairns, but otherwise only small populations (e.g. near Mackay and in the Iron Ranges on Cape York peninsula). Greater Sooty Owls are found in densely vegetated, tall wet forest (often in gullies).

Sightings Click here for sighting information We first spotted a Greater Sooty Owl in Bunya Mountains NP, QLD, in March 2016. A bird was seen again on the same roost in June 2017. M. Eaton reports finding the same Greater Sooty Owl in Bunya Mountains NP, QLD, in June 2017 and again in March 2018. M. Eaton also found a Greater Sooty Owl in D'Aguilar NP, near Mount Mee, QLD, in December 2019.

Photos

ADULT

MALE

Ventral view of a (probably male) Greater Sooty Owl looking down at the observer from its daytime roost
[Bunya Mountains NP, QLD, March 2016]

Overview of the location of a Greater Sooty Owl's roost inside a hollow fig tree
[Bunya Mountains NP, QLD, March 2016]

Having checked out the harmless observer, it is time for the Greater Sooty Owl to snooze again
[Bunya Mountains NP, QLD, March 2016]

Ventral view of a preening Greater Sooty Owl
[Bunya Mountains NP, QLD, June 2017]

Ventral view of a snoozing Greater Sooty Owl (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Bunya Mountains NP, QLD, June 2017]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

sootowl_me_20230127.mp3	(SE QLD)	Contact calls	© ME
sootowl_me_20230127_2.mp3	(SE QLD)	Contact calls	© ME
sootowl_me_20230127_3.mp3	(SE QLD)	Contact calls	© ME
sootowl_me_20191219.m4a	(SE QLD)	Contact call	© ME
sootowl_me_20191219_2.m4a	(SE QLD)	Territorial call ("bomb whistle")	© ME

More Sooty Owl sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

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.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.

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