Southern boobook
Ninox boobook
The southern boobook is a species of owl native to mainland Australia, southern New Guinea, Timor and the Sunda Islands. It was considered to be the same species as the morepork of New Zealand until 2013. Birds from Tasmania belong to a taxon, ''leucopsis'' which appear to be more closely related to the New Zealand species. Eleven subspecies are recognized. This bird is the smallest owl on the Australian mainland and is the continent's most widely distributed and common owl. It is predominantly brown in plumage with grey- or yellow-green eyes. It feeds on insects and small vertebrates.