Cinnabar means to gild silver and gold to objects) "the toxic properties of mercury were well known. It was dangerous to those who mined and processed cinnabar, it caused shaking, loss of sense, and death. Data suggest that mercury was retorted from cinnabar and the workers were exposed to the toxic mercury fumes." Overexposure to mercury, mercurialism, was seen as an occupational disease to the ancient Romans: "Mining in the Spanish cinnabar mines of Almadén, southwest of Madrid, was regarded as being akin to a death sentence due to the shortened life expectancy of the miners, who were slaves or convicts."
Cinnabar boobook long tail and narrow pointed wings. The four known records of the species indicate it is a nocturnal forest dwelling species living at mid-altitudes (). Otherwise very little is known of its habits. Based on morphological similarities with owlet-nightjars, Rasmussen suggests the cinnabar boobook may be an insectivore and prey on invertebrates in flight. Cinnabar boobook The cinnabar boobook ("Ninox ios") also known as the cinnabar hawk owl, is a hawk owl endemic to the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. It was described as a new species to science by American ornithologist Pamela C. Rasmussen in 1999 based on a single