Sooty Owl - profile

Indicative distribution

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Key:

known

predicted

The areas shown in pink and/purple are the sub-regions where the species or community is known or predicted to occur. They may not occur thoughout the sub-region but may be restricted to certain areas. ( click here to see geographic restrictions). The information presented in this map is only indicative and may contain errors and omissions.

Scientific name: Tyto tenebricosa

Conservation status in NSW: Vulnerable

Commonwealth status: Not listed

Profile last updated: 13 Mar 2024

Description

A medium-sized owl to 45 cm long, with dark eyes set in a prominent flat, heart-shaped facial disc. Dark sooty-grey in colour, with large eyes in a grey face, fine white spotting above and below, and a pale belly. The plumage of the fledglings is similar to the adult, but has tufts of down on the head and underparts.

Distribution

Occupies the easternmost one-eighth of NSW, occurring on the coast, coastal escarpment and eastern tablelands. Territories are occupied permanently.

Habitat and ecology

Occurs in rainforest, including dry rainforest, subtropical and warm temperate rainforest, as well as moist eucalypt forests.
Roosts by day in the hollow of a tall forest tree or in heavy vegetation; hunts by night for small ground mammals or tree-dwelling mammals such as the Common Ringtail Possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus) or Sugar Glider (Petaurus breviceps).
Nests in very large tree-hollows.

Regional distribution and habitat

Click on a region below to view detailed distribution, habitat and vegetation information.

Threats

Loss of mature hollow-bearing trees and changes to forest and woodland structure, which leads to fewer such trees in the future.
Clearing of habitat for grazing, agriculture, forestry or other development.
A combination of grazing and regular burning is a threat, through the effects on the quality of ground cover for mammal prey, particularly in open, grassy forests.
Secondary poisoning from rodenticides.

Recovery strategies

A Saving Our Species conservation project is currently being developed for this species and will be available soon. For information on how you can contribute to this species' recovery, see the Activities to assist this species section below.

Activities to assist this species

Retain and protect stands of rainforest and moist forest, especially those with hollow-bearing trees.
Retain hollow-bearing trees as well as large, mature trees that will provide hollows in the future.
Limit the use of pesticides used in suitable native habitat.

Information sources

Garnett, S.T. and Crowley, G.M. (2000) The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2000. Environment Australia, Canberra.
Kavanagh, R.P. and Jackson, R. (1997) Home-range, movements and diet of the Sooty Owl Tyto tenebricosa near Royal National Park, Sydney. In Czechura, G. and Debus, S. (Eds), Australian Raptor Studies II, Birds Australia Monograph 3, Birds Australia, Me
Newton, I., Kavanagh, R., Olson, J. and Taylor, I. (eds.) (2002) Ecology and Conservation of Owls. CSIRO Publishing. Collingwood Victoria.

IBRA Bioregion	IBRA Subregion	Known or predicted	Geographic restrictions region

Australian Alps	Snowy Mountains	Known	None
Nandewar	Peel	Known	East of the New England Highway
New England Tablelands	Armidale Plateau	Known	Within 5 km Styx River State Forest
New England Tablelands	Northeast Forest Lands	Known	None
New England Tablelands	Stanthorpe Plateau	Known	None
New England Tablelands	Walcha Plateau	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Barrington	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Carrai Plateau	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Cataract	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Chaelundi	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Coffs Coast and Escarpment	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Comboyne Plateau	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Dalmorton	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Ellerston	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Guy Fawkes	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Karuah Manning	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Macleay Gorges	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Macleay Hastings	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Mummel Escarpment	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Rocky River Gorge	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Tomalla	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Upper Hunter	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Upper Manning	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Washpool	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Yuraygir	Known	None
NSW South Western Slopes	Capertee Valley	Predicted	None
Ocean	Batemans Shelf	Known	None
Other State	Jervis Bay Territory	Known	None
Other State	QLD	Known	None
Other State	VIC	Known	None
South East Corner	Bateman	Known	None
South East Corner	East Gippsland Lowlands	Known	None
South East Corner	South East Coastal Ranges	Known	None
South Eastern Highlands	Bondo	Known	None
South Eastern Highlands	Bungonia	Known	None
South Eastern Highlands	Capertee Uplands	Known	None
South Eastern Highlands	Kanangra	Known	None
South Eastern Highlands	Kybeyan-Gourock	Known	None
South Eastern Queensland	Burringbar-Conondale Ranges	Known	None
South Eastern Queensland	Clarence Lowlands	Known	None
South Eastern Queensland	Clarence Sandstones	Known	None
South Eastern Queensland	Scenic Rim	Known	None
South Eastern Queensland	Sunshine Coast-Gold Coast Lowlands	Predicted	None
South Eastern Queensland	Woodenbong	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Burragorang	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Cumberland	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Ettrema	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Hunter	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Illawarra	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Jervis	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Moss Vale	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Pittwater	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Sydney Cataract	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Wollemi	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Wyong	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Yengo	Known	None