Brown Hawk-Owl

They have round, expressive yellow eyes.

Scientific name	Ninox scutulata
English name	Brown Hawk-Owl
Japanese name	青葉木菟
Class	Aves
Order	Strigiformes
Family	Strigidae
Genus	Ninox
Species	scutulata
Full length	29cm
Distribution	From India to southeastern Russia

Brown Hawk-Owl Characteristics and Morphology

They are generally dark brown with a roundish head and body silhouette. The sexes have similar coloration.
The head is round and brown. They are characterized by large eyes with yellow irises. The beak is black. The wings are brown. The abdomen is whitish with vertical streaks. The feet are orange and have sharp claws.

Song

They visit Japan during the breeding season and call "Ho-ho Ho-ho" twice each time at night. Their calls are a little high-pitched and resonate well.

Brown Hawk-Owl Ecology

Habitat

They live in forests in plains and mountains.

Food

They prey on insects, small birds, and bats. The carcasses of beetles and other insects found in broad-leaved forests may be the remains of meals of the Ninox japonica.

Life Cycle

They come to Japan after May for breeding. They build nests in tree cavities and raise their young as a pair. The male stays outside the nest to keep watch.

Brown Hawk-Owl Photos

Brown Hawk-Owl Photos are introduced.
Tap the photo to open the detail page.

It was perched on a branch of a cedar tree.

Brown Hawk-Owl Behavior

They can rotate their heads well. Their eyes are large and expressive. They begin to be active in the evening.

Brown Hawk-Owl Information

They have long been familiar to humans, often inhabiting the hollows of large trees in shrines and temples. However, in some areas, their numbers are decreasing due to the felling of trees where they used to nest.

Brown Hawk-Owl Found Locations

Cedar Tree in Hachiōji

I observed it perched on a high branch of a cedar tree in Hachiōji. It was awake and preening even during the day. Its eyes were large, and it seemed expressive because it has eyelids. It didn't seem to mind the humans below and spent its time dozing off occasionally and relaxing.

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