Northern Boobook

Northern Boobook

Ninox japonica

Silhouette: Rachel T Mason · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Taipei

In 3 days <5%

43 Verified sightings at Taipei
27 In 1 park From 2019 to 2026
November Best month
☀️🌙 Day & Night When it's spotted

About the Northern Boobook

The northern boobook (Ninox japonica) belongs to the family Strigidae (true owls) and is a raptorial owl endemic to eastern and southern countries of Asia. The species was considered, until recently, a conspecific of Ninox scutulata or brown boobook, a species of similar distribution encompassing 11 subspecies. The species currently includes two subspecies, the migrant Ninox japonica japonica and the non-migrant Ninox japonica totogo. There are no indications of significant decline in northern boobook populations and therefore its conservation status has been classified as least concern by the IUCN Red List.

Ninox japonica is a hawk owl species with a body length averaging between 29 and 33 cm and a wingspan of approximately 60 to 70 cm wide. Current knowledge on the species shows no sexual dimorphism and an average weight of approximately 168g. The northern boobook has a hawk-like appearance and its subspecies are practically indistinguishable... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:22

Malaysia · 2024

© Lim Ying Hien 林勇贤 · XC1161176 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Song0:53

China · 2024

© Vincent · XC919644 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:16

Malaysia · 2024

© Lim Ying Hien · XC951749 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Taroko National Park 🇹🇼 Taiwan
<5%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Naha 🇯🇵 Japan
<5%
2 Seoul 🇰🇷 South Korea
<5%
3 Kaohsiung 🇹🇼 Taiwan
<5%
4 Suzhou 🇨🇳 China
<5%
5 Shanghai 🇨🇳 China
<5%
6 Hong Kong 🇨🇳 China
<5%
7 Bangkok 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%
8 Manila 🇵🇭 Philippines
<5%
9 Osaka 🇯🇵 Japan
<5%
10 Singapore 🇸🇬 Singapore
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Ueno Zoo 🇯🇵 Japan In captivity
2 Asahiyama Zoo 🇯🇵 Japan In captivity
3 Inokashira Park Zoo 🇯🇵 Japan In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Northern Boobook in Taipei?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Boobook sighting in Taipei on a given day, based on 43 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 207th most-seen of the 266 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Northern Boobook in Taipei?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Boobook in Taipei on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Northern Boobook?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Northern Boobook sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.

Is Taipei the best place to see a Northern Boobook?

Among the best

Of the 11 cities where we can rate Northern Boobook sightings, Taipei ranks 11th at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Naha (Japan, under 5%), Seoul (South Korea, under 5%) and Kaohsiung (Taiwan, under 5%).

Where does the Northern Boobook sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Northern Boobook is recorded against all the birds logged in Taipei (43 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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