Barking Owl - Ninox connivens
Type of animal: Bird
Common Name: The Barking Owl
Scientific Name: Ninox connivens
Enclosure Description
Ripley is the Barking Owl found at Taronga Park Zoo. She can be found at The Bird Show Amphitheatre, where she demonstrates her hunting and flying skills for visitors to the Zoo everyday. Ripley's enclosure is not open to the public. Erin her trainer, spoke to me in detail about her behind the scenes enclosure. Ripley is kept in a large enclosure where her size and shape provide for her freedom of movement, both vertically and horizontally. The width of her enclosure is 3m. Its length is 7m and its height is 3m tall. Ripley's enclosure is a safe covered shelter enclosed by water proof walls, which provide roost security, protection from the weather and sunlight. Her enclosure has wire mesh around it that is flexible to reduce the impact of her flying into it and it has a wire roof surface which is totally horizontal. The enclosure is very clean and has a water mist spray that allows Ripley access to water. Ripley's enclosure has ample perches and ledges in it and like other owl enclosures most are placed to avoid visual contact with other owls in adjoining enclosures. Each nocturnal hole nesting owl has a darkened corner to hide from the light in hollow logs. Suitable low light is found in the enclosures and similar sized owls are kept together if there is no aggression. The enclosures are through a double door safety entrance with self closing doors.
Type of animal: Bird
Common Name: The Barking Owl
Scientific Name: Ninox connivens
Enclosure Description
Ripley is the Barking Owl found at Taronga Park Zoo. She can be found at The Bird Show Amphitheatre, where she demonstrates her hunting and flying skills for visitors to the Zoo everyday. Ripley's enclosure is not open to the public. Erin her trainer, spoke to me in detail about her behind the scenes enclosure. Ripley is kept in a large enclosure where her size and shape provide for her freedom of movement, both vertically and horizontally. The width of her enclosure is 3m. Its length is 7m and its height is 3m tall. Ripley's enclosure is a safe covered shelter enclosed by water proof walls, which provide roost security, protection from the weather and sunlight. Her enclosure has wire mesh around it that is flexible to reduce the impact of her flying into it and it has a wire roof surface which is totally horizontal. The enclosure is very clean and has a water mist spray that allows Ripley access to water. Ripley's enclosure has ample perches and ledges in it and like other owl enclosures most are placed to avoid visual contact with other owls in adjoining enclosures. Each nocturnal hole nesting owl has a darkened corner to hide from the light in hollow logs. Suitable low light is found in the enclosures and similar sized owls are kept together if there is no aggression. The enclosures are through a double door safety entrance with self closing doors.
The Barking Owl
The Barking Owl is a stealthy, agile and aggressive hunter of the night. It hunts during early dawn and dusk. It has developed an ability for silent flight and relies on its excellent vision to catch prey. It is a nocturnal bird well known for its call similar to a barking dog and during mating, like a shrill woman- like scream.
Features And Characteristics Of The Barking Owl
Size: 39-44cm long
Weight: 380-960g
Wingspan: 85-120cm
The Barking Owl is a medium sized brown owl. It is a greyish brown colour with white spots on its wings and a streaked chest. Its underparts are also brownish grey and coarsely spotted white, and its tail and flight feathers are strongly banded brown and white. The Barking Owl lacks the heart shape face of other owls. It has no facial mask. It has very large forward facing eyes with a yellow iris. Its beak is grey and narrow and the point is black in colour. It is long, sharp and pointy. It has two small black nostrils at the top of its beak and long thin black hairs that protrude like whiskers around the beak. Its head is rounded and has no ear-tuffs. It can turn its head 270° in either direction and amazingly to look upside down. Its throat feathers stand out giving the owl a bearded appearance. The two legs on the Barking Owl are thick short and very strong. They have three toes that are sparsely bristled and are a dull yellow colour. Their claws are very long, sharp and strong and are black in colour.
Habitat
Barking Owls are native birds of Australia. They live along the northern and eastern coast and south west areas surrounding Perth. They live near lakes, waterways, forests and wooded environments. They live in defined territories, making several nesting locations in large tree hollows that they defend fiercely from others.
Breeding
Barking Owls pair for life. They breed between July to November. The female lays 2-3 eggs each year.
Diet
Barking Owls eat rodents, possums, birds, mice, rabbits, bats, sugar gliders, beetles, moths, frogs and fish in their diet.
Predators
Mainly humans who are destroying the owls habitats through the clearing of forests and vegetation.
Conservation Status
In 2010, Barking Owls were listed as a "Near Threatened" species. However, it varies from state to state within Australia.
Barking Owls are native birds of Australia. They live along the northern and eastern coast and south west areas surrounding Perth. They live near lakes, waterways, forests and wooded environments. They live in defined territories, making several nesting locations in large tree hollows that they defend fiercely from others.
Breeding
Barking Owls pair for life. They breed between July to November. The female lays 2-3 eggs each year.
Diet
Barking Owls eat rodents, possums, birds, mice, rabbits, bats, sugar gliders, beetles, moths, frogs and fish in their diet.
Predators
Mainly humans who are destroying the owls habitats through the clearing of forests and vegetation.
Conservation Status
In 2010, Barking Owls were listed as a "Near Threatened" species. However, it varies from state to state within Australia.