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
Southern boobook sites. Caves or ledges are alternative roosting sites if no suitable trees are available. Although unobtrusive, it may give itself away by droppings or pellets on the ground beneath. The southern boobook is mobbed by passerines if discovered. It may allow people to approach to within . The maximum age recorded from banding has been 15 years 11 months, in a bird caught and later caught again on Black Mountain in the Australian Capital Territory. Across Australia, breeding takes place from July to February, though peaks in October, and is generally earlier in more northern areas. Eggs are laid from