Norfolk boobook morepork, being a small brown hawk owl with mottled plumage. It was smaller, darker and more reddish in colouring than the Australian subspecies, with much spotting. However, it was slightly larger than the nominate subspecies from New Zealand; female boobooks are larger than the males, with New Zealand females comparable in size to Norfolk Island males, a factor which gave rise to sexing difficulties with hybrid birds in the conservation management program. The owl inhabited the island's subtropical rainforest, which was largely cleared in the 19th century following human settlement. Most of the remaining forest lies within the small (4.65
New Britain boobook series of rapidly repeated "whoo"s, starting at a low pitch which rises and becomes faster and louder. This species is found in the lowlands and hills of the New Britain and New Ireland Endemic Bird Areas at elevations of up to above sea level. It is fairly common in its small range and is nocturnal. It roosts during the day alone or in pairs in the middle to upper parts of the forest canopy. It feeds mainly on insects and small mammals. Formerly classified as being a "Species of Least Concern" by the IUCN, the New Britain boobook was later