New Ireland boobook New Ireland boobook The New Ireland boobook ("Ninox variegata") also known as the Bismarck hawk owl or Bismarck boobook, is a small to medium-sized owl measuring in length. It is a dark rufous-brown above, with barred scapular feathers and variable amounts of spotting or barring on the wings and tail. Its underparts are whitish, with an unmarked pale throat, a dark barred upper breast and barring on the remainder of the underparts. Its face is dark brown, its eyes are brown or yellow, and its bill and legs are yellow. It is short-tailed and has heavy tarsi (the part of
Southern boobook grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, cockroaches, moths, wolf spiders, and huntsman spiders were also consumed. A study in Victoria found that larger animals were eaten, including Baillon's crake ("Porzana pusilla"), common ringtail possum ("Pseudocheirus peregrinus") and feral rabbit ("Oryctolagus cuniculus"). Using a fence, branch, or telegraph pole as a perch or vantage point from which to hunt, the southern boobook pounces on prey then retreats to a tree or elevated place to eat it. It often hunts in open areas near trees, and also where prey is likely to congregate, such as mice near haystacks or barns, or flying insects near street-