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A photo of a Greater Sooty Owl (Tyto tenebricosa)
Greater Sooty Owl

Greater Sooty Owl

Tyto tenebricosa

The greater sooty owl (Tyto tenebricosa) is a medium to large owl found in south-eastern Australia, Montane rainforests of New Guinea and have been seen on Flinders Island in the Bass Strait. The lesser sooty owl (T. multipunctata), is sometimes considered to be conspecific with this species, in which case they are then together referred to as sooty owls. It is substantially smaller and occurs in the wet tropics region of North Queensland, Australia. Greater sooty owls have a finely white spotted head with scattered white spots on the wings. The females are lighter colored than the males. They appear to be the heaviest of the living species in the barn owl family, however the Tasmanian subspecies of the Australian masked owl is larger still. The females' length is 41 to 50 cm and weighs 750 to 1,200 g. The smaller male has a length of 37 to 43 cm and weighs 500 to 700 g. The wing length is 30–40 cm. The large dark eyes are set in a round large facial disk. The facial disk is dark gray-silver or sooty black (changing with age) and has a heavy black edge. The upper part of the owl is black to dark gray and the under part is lighter. The tail is short and the legs are feathered. The feet and talons are large. Their call is a piercing shriek which can last up to two seconds.
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Greater Sooty Owls on Birda

Sightings

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Angus Hamilton
Friday 05 May 2023 - 11:15am
Australia
A map showing the sighting location
Profile picture for Angus Hamilton
Angus Hamilton
Tuesday 04 Apr 2023 - 4:46pm
Australia
A map showing the sighting location
Profile picture for Angus Hamilton
Angus Hamilton
Wednesday 22 Feb 2023 - 11:10pm
Australia
A map showing the sighting location
Profile picture for Angus Hamilton
Angus Hamilton
Friday 17 Feb 2023 - 8:00pm
Australia
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