The Southern Boobook (Ninox novaeseelandiae), also called the Tasmanian spotted owl, is a small brown owl found throughout New Zealand, Tasmania, across most of mainland Australia and in Timor, southern New Guinea and nearby islands. This bird is the smallest owl in Australia and is the continent's most widely distributed and common owl.
The bird has almost 20 alternative common names, most of which – including mopoke, morepork, ruru and boobook itself – are onomatopoeic, as they emulate the bird's distinctive two-pitched call.
Two subspecies, the Lord Howe Boobook and the Norfolk Island Boobook, both became extinct during the 20th century.
Read more about Southern Boobook: Habitats, In Fiction
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