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  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Tytonidae
  4. ›
  5. Tyto
  6. ›
  7. Eastern Grass Owl
Eastern Grass Owl
Photo · Ronny Overhate

BirdUp · Species

Eastern Grass Owl

Tyto longimembris(Jerdon, 1839)

Updated 21 March 2026

Origin: Native
Order
STRIGIFORMES
Family
Tytonidae
Genus
Tyto

At a glance

The Eastern Grass Owl is a medium-sized bird, about 30–38 cm long, native to Australia. It can be seen year-round.

Size
30–38 cm
Origin
Native
Best seen
Year-round
Commonness
Very common
  • Identification
  • Where
  • When
  • Behaviour
  • Gallery

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

What does an Eastern Grass Owl look like?

The Eastern Grass Owl is a medium-sized bird, about 30–38 cm long and weighing 265–582 g.

The eastern grass owl, also known as Chinese grass owl or Australasian grass owl, is a species of owl in the family Tytonidae. They feed predominantly on small rodents.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field specs

Length
30–38 cm
Weight
265–582 g

Measurements · avonet · CC BY 4.0

03 · When

When to look

When can you see an Eastern Grass Owl?

The Eastern Grass Owl is present across its Australian range year-round, so it can be seen in any month.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

05 · Behaviour

Habits and haunts

What does an Eastern Grass Owl eat?

The Eastern Grass Owl feeds on terrestrial invertebrates and terrestrial vertebrates, usually foraging alone.

06 · Gallery

Plumage up close

5 photos

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02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Eastern Grass Owl live in Australia?

The Eastern Grass Owl is native to Australia, recorded across 33 of Australia’s bioregions.

BreedingOR, AU : east India to east China, Philippines, Taiwan, Sulawesi, south-east New Guinea, north and north-east Australia and New Caledonia

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Resident
  • Breeding
  • Vagrant
  • Passage

8 regions recorded