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  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Strigidae
  4. ›
  5. Ninox
  6. ›
  7. Powerful Owl
Powerful Owl
Photo · (c) Greg Tasney, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

BirdUp · Species

Powerful Owl

Ninox strenua(Gould, 1838)

Updated 11 June 2026

Origin: Endemic
Order
STRIGIFORMES
Family
Strigidae
Genus
Ninox

At a glance

The Powerful Owl is a large bird, about 50–60 cm long, endemic to Australia. It can be seen year-round.

Size
50–60 cm
Origin
Endemic
Best seen
Year-round
Commonness
Endemic
  • Identification
  • Where
  • When
  • Voice
  • Behaviour
  • Gallery

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

What does a Powerful Owl look like?

The Powerful Owl is a large bird, about 50–60 cm long and weighing 995–2220 g.

The powerful owl, a species of owl native to south-eastern and eastern Australia, is the largest owl on the continent. It is found in coastal areas and in the Great Dividing Range, rarely more than 200 km (120 mi) inland. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species also refers to this species as the powerful boobook.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field specs

Length
50–60 cm
Weight
995–2220 g
Wingspan
112 cm

Measurements · avonet · CC BY 4.0

03 · When

When to look

When can you see a Powerful Owl?

The Powerful 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

04 · Voice

What it sounds like

Call

prossington · New South Wales, AU

Call

ianrainbow · Victoria, AU

Call

Matthew Johnson · Victoria, AU

Call

ianrainbow · Victoria, AU

05 · Behaviour

Habits and haunts

What does a Powerful Owl eat?

The Powerful Owl feeds on terrestrial vertebrates, usually foraging in pairs or alone.

06 · Gallery

Plumage up close

4 photos

The BirdUp app

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02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Powerful Owl live in Australia?

The Powerful Owl is endemic to Australia, recorded across 26 of Australia’s bioregions.

BreedingSouth-east QLD to south-east SA (east and south-east Australia)

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Resident
  • Non-breeding
  • Vagrant

7 regions recorded