Tyto multipunctata
Silhouette: Sharon Wegner-Larsen · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The lesser sooty owl (Tyto multipunctata) is a medium-sized masked owl endemic to the wet tropics region of Australia. Once considered a subspecies of the greater sooty owl, it is distinguished by its dark plumage, heavier spotting, and higher-pitched call. The lesser sooty owl has a limited range within northeastern Australia and primarily lives in dark, sheltered areas of the rainforest.
The lesser sooty owl is a nocturnal owl with dark gray plumage and distinctive white speckles. Its heart-shaped facial disc is bicoloured, with a light horn-colored bill. It averages 32–38 cm in size, with females typically being larger and more aggressive than males.
They are habitat specialists which means they require a particular habitat to survive. In terms of diet, they are generalists which means they have a varied diet and are flexible with the prey they consume. In general, sooty owls are uncommon because they are difficult to observe in the dark, dense forests they live in. The sooty owl is the third largest Australian forest owl behind the powerful owl (Ninox strenua) and the rufous owl (Ninox rufa). Lesser sooty owls are known to be very territorial and release a loud... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
More parks will be added in future updates.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Sooty Owl sighting in Daintree National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 91st most-seen of the 208 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Sooty Owl in Daintree National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June–August, October and December–April, the lowest months. That is one of Daintree National Park's driest months, with about 65 mm of rain against 380 mm in January.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Lesser Sooty Owl sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Only Daintree National Park, in our data
Daintree National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Lesser Sooty Owl sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Lesser Sooty Owl is recorded against all the birds logged in Daintree National Park (5 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
