New Britain boobook facts for kids
Quick facts for kids New Britain boobook |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Ninox
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| Species: |
odiosa
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The New Britain boobook (Ninox odiosa) is a small and special type of owl. People also call it the spangled boobook, New Britain hawk-owl, or russet hawk-owl. This owl lives only on New Britain island, which is the biggest island in the Bismarck Archipelago in Papua New Guinea. When an animal lives only in one place, it's called endemic.
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What Does the New Britain Boobook Look Like?
This little owl is about 22 cm (9 in) long, which is roughly the size of a ruler. It has beautiful chocolate-brown feathers with tiny spots. Its eyes are a shiny golden color, and it has white eyebrows.
The feathers around its face are brown. On its upper chest, there's a wide brown band with lighter buff or white stripes. The feathers on its belly are also covered in many brown spots.
What Does It Sound Like?
The New Britain boobook has a unique call. It makes a series of quick "whoo" sounds. The call starts out quiet and low, then gets faster, louder, and higher in pitch.
Where Does the New Britain Boobook Live?
This owl lives in the lowlands and hills of the New Britain and New Ireland bird areas. You can find it at heights up to 1,200 m (3,940 ft) above the ocean.
It is a fairly common bird in its small home range. The New Britain boobook is a nocturnal animal, meaning it is active mostly at night. During the day, it rests or "roosts" alone or in pairs. It likes to hide in the middle or upper parts of tall forest trees.
What Does It Eat?
The New Britain boobook mainly eats insects. It also hunts and eats small mammals.
Why Is This Owl Vulnerable?
The New Britain boobook was once thought to be a "Species of Least Concern" by the IUCN. This meant scientists didn't think it was in much danger.
However, later on, experts realized it might be rarer than they first thought. This is because its home, the rainforest, was being harmed. People were cutting down trees for logging and clearing forests to plant oil palm trees.
After studying the owl's population again, they found their worries were true. There are now only about 10,000 to 20,000 New Britain boobooks left. Their total living area is also quite small, less than 30,000 km2 (11,580 sq mi). Because of these reasons, its status was changed to "Vulnerable" in 2008. This means it is at high risk of becoming endangered in the future.
