Barking Owl - profile

Indicative distribution

Loading map...

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: Ninox connivens

Conservation status in NSW: Vulnerable

Commonwealth status: Not listed

Gazetted date: 12 Jun 1998

Profile last updated: 13 Mar 2024

Description

The Barking Owl is medium-sized owl (42 cm, 650 g), smaller than the similar Powerful Owl and larger than the Southern Boobook. It has bright yellow eyes and no facial-disc. Upperparts are brown or greyish-brown, and the white breast is vertically streaked with brown. The large talons are yellow. Males are typically larger than their mate and have a more square crown. The quick, dog-like ‘wook-wook’ territorial call is diagnostic, but the yapping of foxes, dogs and even Sugar Gliders is sometimes attributed to this species. Pairs of birds perform call-and-answer duets, the male's tone being the deeper, which often rise to an excited rapid pitch. This species is also famous for a rarely used high-pitched tremulous scream that has earned it the name ‘screaming-woman bird'.

Distribution

The Barking Owl is found throughout continental Australia except for the central arid regions. Although still common in parts of northern Australia, the species has declined greatly in southern Australia and now occurs in a wide but sparse distribution in NSW. Core populations exist on the western slopes and plains and in some northeast coastal and escarpment forests. Many populations crashed as woodland on fertile soils was cleared over the past century, leaving linear riparian strips of remnant trees as the last inhabitable areas. Surveys in 2001 demonstrated that the Pilliga Forest supported the largest population in southern Australia. The owls sometimes extend their home range into urban areas, hunting birds in garden trees and insects attracted to streetlights. Extensive wildfires in 2019-20 reduced habitat quality further, burnt many old, hollow-bearing trees needed as refuge by prey species and reduced the viability of some regional owl populations.

Habitat and ecology

Inhabits woodland and open forest, including fragmented remnants and partly cleared farmland. It is flexible in its habitat use, and hunting can extend in to closed forest and more open areas. Sometimes able to successfully breed along timbered watercourses in heavily cleared habitats (e.g. western NSW) due to the higher density of prey found on these fertile riparian soils.
Roost in shaded portions of tree canopies, including tall midstorey trees with dense foliage such as Acacia and Casuarina species. During nesting season, the male perches in a nearby tree overlooking the hollow entrance.
Preferentially hunts small arboreal mammals such as Squirrel Gliders and Common Ringtail Possums, but when loss of tree hollows decreases these prey populations the owl becomes more reliant on birds, invertebrates and terrestrial mammals such as rodents and rabbits. Can catch bats and moths on the wing, but typically hunts by sallying from a tall perch.
Requires very large permanent territories in most habitats due to sparse prey densities. Monogamous pairs hunt over as much as 6000 hectares, with 2000 hectares being more typical in NSW habitats.
Two or three eggs are laid in hollows of large, old trees. Living eucalypts are preferred though dead trees are also used. Nest sites are used repeatedly over years by a pair, but they may switch sites if disturbed by predators (e.g. goannas).
Nesting occurs during mid-winter and spring, being variable between pairs and among years. As a rule of thumb, laying occurs during August and fledging in November. The female incubates for 5 weeks, roosts outside the hollow when chicks are 4 weeks old, then fledging occurs 2-3 weeks later. Young are dependent on their parents for several months.
Territorial pairs respond strongly to recordings of Barking Owl calls from up to 6 km away, though humans rarely hear this response farther than 1.5 km. Because disturbance reduces the pair’s foraging time, and can pull the female off her eggs even on cold nights, recordings should not be broadcast unnecessarily nor during the nesting season.

Regional distribution and habitat

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

Threats

Clearing and degradation of habitat, mostly through cultivation, intense grazing and the establishment of exotic pastures.
Inappropriate forest harvesting practices that remove old, hollow-bearing trees and change open forest structure to dense regrowth.
Firewood harvesting resulting in the removal of fallen logs and felling of large dead trees.
Too-frequent fire leading to degradation of understorey vegetation which provides shelter and foraging substrates for prey species.
Destruction of hollow-bearing trees, which provide both nest sites for the owls and refuge sites for their prey
Competition for prey by foxes
Poor organisation and availability of species data
Nestling predation by native species such as goannas and brush-tailed possums
High use of rodenticide impacts on large forest owls through secondary poisoning.
Disturbance of nesting and excessive disturbance of foraging by inappropriate use of call-playback surveys

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

Apply a mosaic pattern during fire hazard reduction to ensure the same areas are not burned too frequently.
Protect woodland and open forest remnants, especially those containing hollow-bearing trees.
Retain and enhance vegetation along watercourses and surrounding areas to protect important habitat of the owls and their prey.
Maintain a buffer of undisturbed native vegetation at least 200 metres radius around known nest sites.
Retain standing dead trees and large fallen logs. Rake flammable material away from the base of nest trees and other old, hollow-bearing trees to protect from fire.
Fence habitat remnants and protect from heavy grazing.

Information sources

Higgins, P.J. (ed.) (1999) Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Volume 4: Parrots to Dollarbird.
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (2003) Draft Recovery Plan for the Barking owl (Ninox connivens). NSW NPWS, Sydney.
Robinson, D. and Traill, B.J. (1996) Conserving woodland birds in the wheat and sheep belts of southern Australia. RAOU Conservation Statement No. 10. (Birds Australia, Melbourne)

IBRA Bioregion	IBRA Subregion	Known or predicted	Geographic restrictions region

Australian Alps	Snowy Mountains	Known	None
Brigalow Belt South	Liverpool Plains	Known	None
Brigalow Belt South	Liverpool Range	Known	None
Brigalow Belt South	Moonie-Barwon Interfluve	Predicted	None
Brigalow Belt South	Narrandool	Known	None
Brigalow Belt South	Northern Basalts	Known	None
Brigalow Belt South	Northern Outwash	Known	None
Brigalow Belt South	Pilliga	Known	None
Brigalow Belt South	Pilliga Outwash	Known	None
Brigalow Belt South	Talbragar Valley	Known	None
Broken Hill Complex	Barrier Range Outwash	Predicted	None
Broken Hill Complex	Mootwingee Downs	Known	None
Broken Hill Complex	Scopes Range	Predicted	None
Channel Country	Bulloo	Predicted	None
Channel Country	Bulloo Dunefields	Predicted	None
Channel Country	Central Depression	Predicted	None
Channel Country	Core Ranges	Known	None
Channel Country	Sturt Stony Desert	Known	None
Cobar Peneplain	Barnato Downs	Known	None
Cobar Peneplain	Boorindal Plains	Predicted	None
Cobar Peneplain	Canbelego Downs	Known	None
Cobar Peneplain	Lachlan Plains	Known	None
Cobar Peneplain	Nymagee	Known	None
Darling Riverine Plains	Bogan-Macquarie	Known	None
Darling Riverine Plains	Castlereagh-Barwon	Known	None
Darling Riverine Plains	Culgoa-Bokhara	Known	None
Darling Riverine Plains	Great Darling Anabranch	Predicted	None
Darling Riverine Plains	Louth Plains	Known	None
Darling Riverine Plains	Menindee	Known	None
Darling Riverine Plains	Pooncarie-Darling	Known	None
Darling Riverine Plains	Warrambool-Moonie	Known	None
Darling Riverine Plains	Wilcannia Plains	Predicted	None
Mulga Lands	Cuttaburra-Paroo	Predicted	None
Mulga Lands	Kerribree Basin	Predicted	None
Mulga Lands	Nebine Plains	Known	None
Mulga Lands	Paroo Overflow	Predicted	None
Mulga Lands	Paroo-Darling Sands	Predicted	None
Mulga Lands	Warrego Plains	Predicted	None
Mulga Lands	Warrego Sands	Predicted	None
Mulga Lands	West Warrego	Predicted	None
Mulga Lands	White Cliffs Plateau	Predicted	None
Murray Darling Depression	Darling Depression	Known	None
Murray Darling Depression	South Olary Plain	Known	None
Nandewar	Inverell Basalts	Known	None
Nandewar	Kaputar	Predicted	None
Nandewar	Nandewar Northern Complex	Known	None
Nandewar	Peel	Known	None
New England Tablelands	Armidale Plateau	Known	None
New England Tablelands	Beardy River Hills	Known	None
New England Tablelands	Binghi Plateau	Known	None
New England Tablelands	Bundarra Downs	Known	None
New England Tablelands	Deepwater Downs	Known	None
New England Tablelands	Eastern Nandewars	Known	None
New England Tablelands	Ebor Basalts	Known	None
New England Tablelands	Glenn Innes-Guyra Basalts	Known	None
New England Tablelands	Moredun Volcanics	Known	None
New England Tablelands	Nightcap	Predicted	None
New England Tablelands	Northeast Forest Lands	Known	None
New England Tablelands	Round Mountain	Known	None
New England Tablelands	Severn River Volcanics	Known	None
New England Tablelands	Stanthorpe Plateau	Known	None
New England Tablelands	Tenterfield Plateau	Predicted	None
New England Tablelands	Tingha Plateau	Known	None
New England Tablelands	Walcha Plateau	Known	None
New England Tablelands	Wongwibinda Plateau	Known	None
New England Tablelands	Yarrowyck-Kentucky Downs	Predicted	None
NSW North Coast	Barrington	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Carrai Plateau	Predicted	None
NSW North Coast	Cataract	Predicted	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	Predicted	None
NSW North Coast	Guy Fawkes	Predicted	None
NSW North Coast	Karuah Manning	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Macleay Gorges	Predicted	None
NSW North Coast	Macleay Hastings	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Mummel Escarpment	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Rocky River Gorge	Predicted	None
NSW North Coast	Tomalla	Predicted	None
NSW North Coast	Upper Hunter	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Upper Manning	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Washpool	Predicted	None
NSW North Coast	Yuraygir	Predicted	None
NSW South Western Slopes	Capertee Valley	Known	None
NSW South Western Slopes	Inland Slopes	Known	None
NSW South Western Slopes	Lower Slopes	Known	None
Ocean	Batemans Shelf	Known	None
Ocean	Hawkesbury Shelf	Known	None
Other State	ACT	Known	None
Other State	Jervis Bay Territory	Known	None
Other State	QLD	Known	None
Other State	SA	Known	None
Other State	VIC	Known	None
Riverina	Lachlan	Known	None
Riverina	Murray Fans	Known	None
Riverina	Murray Scroll Belt	Predicted	None
Riverina	Murrumbidgee	Known	None
Riverina	Robinvale Plains	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	Bathurst	Known	None
South Eastern Highlands	Bondo	Known	None
South Eastern Highlands	Bungonia	Known	None
South Eastern Highlands	Capertee Uplands	Known	None
South Eastern Highlands	Hill End	Known	None
South Eastern Highlands	Kanangra	Known	None
South Eastern Highlands	Kybeyan-Gourock	Known	None
South Eastern Highlands	Monaro	Known	None
South Eastern Highlands	Oberon	Known	None
South Eastern Highlands	Orange	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	Known	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	Kerrabee	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Moss Vale	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Pittwater	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Wollemi	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Wyong	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Yengo	Known	None

Sounds

Images

Barking Owl Image 1 of 2.
View slideshow.

Related information

Get involved

Report a sighting

Nature conservation

Threatened species