Bird Album
Brown Boobook
Ninox scutulata (Raffles, 1822)
32 cmLength191 gWeight
Its long tail and poorly defined facial disc give it a somewhat hawk-like appearance.
Busiest months: February · Most records: India, Thailand, Malaysia
How to identify
Field marks
- Eyes large and yellow
- Facial disc poorly defined, tail relatively long
- Back dark brown, tail barred
- Underparts whitish, with reddish-brown streaks
Male, female and young
Sexes similar in appearance.
Voice
A low, soft, repeated “oo-uk”, heard at dusk and dawn.
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: February · Most records: India, Thailand, Malaysia
Brown Boobook has been recorded at 393 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 15 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Kaeng Krachan NP – Baan Maka Nature LodgeThailand407 records
- Kanha Tiger Reserve – Mukki GateIndia348 records
- Thattekkad Bird SanctuaryIndia320 records
More places
- Cat Tien NPVietnam259 records
- Central Catchment Nature ReserveSingapore239 records
- Wildlife Institute of IndiaIndia235 records
- Hindhede Nature ParkSingapore227 records
- Sepilok – Rainforest Discovery CenterMalaysia223 records
- Kaeng Krachan NP – stream crossings 1–3Thailand195 records
- TmatboeyCambodia188 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The brown boobook (Ninox scutulata), also known as the brown hawk-owl, is a typical owl species. It has dark brown upperparts, whitish underparts with reddish-brown streaking, and a barred tail. It is a resident breeder in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, southern China and western Indonesia.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Brown Boobook?
The Brown Boobook is about 32 cm long and weighs around 191 g.
Where does the Brown Boobook live?
Its breeding range: Oriental, Palearctic: northern India to southern China and Borneo. It is most often recorded in India, Thailand and Malaysia.
When is the best time to see the Brown Boobook?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in February (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Brown Boobook endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Brown Boobook as Least Concern.
What does the Brown Boobook eat?
Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.
What family is the Brown Boobook in?
It belongs to the family Owls (Strigidae), order Strigiformes.
At a glance
- Length
- 32 cm
- Weight
- 191 g
- Habitat
- Forest
- Diet
- Insects & other invertebrates
- Lifestyle
- Perches in trees
- Migration
- Migratory
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 182 mm
- Tail
- 99 mm
- Bill
- 28 mm
- Tarsus
- 22 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Oriental, Palearctic: northern India to southern China and Borneo
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Subspecies · 1
- Ninox scutulata burmanica ne India to s China, Indochina and Thailand
Classification
- Order
- Strigiformes
- Family
- Owls Strigidae
- Genus
- Ninox
Other birds in the genus Ninox
Rufous OwlNinox rufa
Powerful OwlNinox strenua
Barking OwlNinox connivens
Sumba BoobookNinox rudolfi
Australian BoobookNinox boobook
Rote BoobookNinox rotiensis
Timor BoobookNinox fusca
Alor BoobookNinox plesseni
Tasmanian BoobookNinox leucopsis
MoreporkNinox novaeseelandiae
Northern BoobookNinox japonica
Hume's BoobookNinox obscura
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Dhruva Punde. ↗
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