Barking Owl

1. Medium-sized owl with grey-brown upperparts and white underparts heavily streaked with brown

2. Large yellow eyes and a rounded facial outline, lacking a heart-shaped disc

3. Dog-like “wook-wook” call and a piercing, human-like scream

Barking Owls are versatile, opportunistic hunters, feeding on a wide range of small to medium-sized mammals (including gliders, possums, rabbits, and bats), birds (sometimes up to the size of cockatoos and ducks), reptiles, insects, and occasionally frogs or crustaceans. They hunt from perches or in flight, often in open areas and along waterways. The breeding season is from July to September in northern Australia and August to October in the south. They nest in large tree hollows, laying 2–3 eggs per clutch. The female incubates the eggs (about 28–36 days), while the male provides food. Chicks fledge after about 45 days but remain dependent on their parents for several months, staying in the family group until just before the next breeding season.Competition from feral honeybees for nest hollows, predation and competition from foxes and cats, and secondary poisoning are also significant pressures.

Barking Owls inhabit open woodlands, forest edges, and savannahs, often near rivers, wetlands, or farmland across coastal and subcoastal Australia, as well as parts of New Guinea and the Moluccas. They require areas with a high density of large, hollow-bearing trees for nesting and roosting, and are often found near waterways. They favour drier woodlands, especially box-ironbark types, and are less common in dense or moist forests. Most hunting occurs in the first few hours after dusk and before dawn, but they may also hunt during daylight.