The Powerful Owl is the largest owl in Australasia. It is a typical hawk-owl, with large yellow eyes and no facial-disc. Adults reach 60 cm in length, have a wingspan of up to 140 cm and weigh up to 1.45 kilograms. Males are larger than females. The upper parts of the Powerful Owl are dark, greyish-brown with indistinct off-white bars. The underparts are whitish with dark greyish-brown V-shaped markings. Juvenile Powerful Owls have a white crown and underparts that contrasts with its small, dark streaks and dark eye patches. The call of this species may be heard at any time of the year, but it is more vocal during the autumn breeding season. It has a slow, deep and resonant double hoot, with the female's being higher pitched and expressing an upward inflection on the second note. The Powerful Owl inhabits a range of vegetation types, from woodland and open sclerophyll forest to tall open wet forest and rainforest. The Powerful Owl requires large tracts of forest or woodland habitat but can occur in fragmented landscapes as well. The species breeds and hunts in open or closed sclerophyll forest or woodlands and occasionally hunts in open habitats. The main prey items are medium-sized arboreal marsupials, particularly the Greater Glider, Common Ringtail Possum and Sugar Glider. Powerful Owls nest in large tree hollows, in large eucalypts that are at least 150 years old. While the female and young are in the nest hollow the male Powerful Owl roosts nearby guarding them, often choosing a dense "grove" of trees that provide concealment from other birds that harass him. Powerful Owls are monogamous and mate for life. (Source: NSW Government Office of Environment & Heritage, 2017), (Image: Fred Miranda).

The Barking Owl is medium-sized owl (42 cm, 650 g), smaller than the similar Powerful Owl and larger than the Southern Boobook. It has bright yellow eyes and no facial-disc. Upperparts are brown or greyish-brown, and the white breast is vertically streaked with brown. The large talons are yellow. Males are typically larger than their mate and have a more square crown. The quick, dog-like ‘wook-wook’ territorial call is diagnostic, but the yapping of foxes and dogs is sometimes attributed to this species. Pairs of birds perform call-and-answer duets, the male's tone being the deeper, which often rise to an excited rapid pitch. This species is also famous for a rarely use high-pitched tremulous scream that has earned it the name ‘screaming-woman bird'. Inhabits woodland and open forest, including fragmented remnants and partly cleared farmland. It is flexible in its habitat use, and hunting can extend in to closed forest and more open areas. They roost in shaded portions of tree canopies, including tall midstorey trees with dense foliage such as Acacia and Casuarina species. During nesting season, the male perches in a nearby tree overlooking the hollow entrance. Preferentially hunts small arboreal mammals such as Squirrel Gliders and Common Ringtail Possums, but when loss of tree hollows decreases these prey populations the owl becomes more reliant on birds, invertebrates and terrestrial mammals such as rodents and rabbits. Can catch bats and moths on the wing, but typically hunts by sallying from a tall perch. They require very large permanent territories in most habitats due to sparse prey densities. Monogamous pairs hunt over as much as 6000 hectares (Source: NSW Government Office of Environment & Heritage, 2018), (Image: Nick Talbot).

The Southern Boobook is often overlooked because of its nocturnal habits. If the species is seen during the day, it is usually roosting among dense foliage, being scolded by various small birds. At night, boobooks hunt insects, small mammals and small birds at roost, usually by pouncing onto prey from a perch, or by sallying on fluttering wings. Most prey is detected by listening and watching from a suitable tall perch. Once detected, flying prey, such as moths and small bats, are seized in mid-air, while ground-dwelling prey animals are pounced upon. The most well-known aspect of the Southern Boobook is its characteristic call, generally rendered as boobook or morepork, sometimes repeated incessantly, occasionally for hours on end. The Southern Boobook is the smallest and most common owl in Australia. It is identified by its plumage, which is dark chocolate-brown above and rufous-brown below, heavily streaked and spotted with white. The bill is grey with a darker tip, and the feet are grey or yellow. The facial disc is chocolate brown and the eyes are large and yellowish. Tasmanian birds are smaller and more heavily spotted with white, while birds of the Cape York rainforests are slightly larger and darker. Young Southern Boobooks are almost entirely buff-white below, with conspicuous dark brown facial discs. Like other owl species, the Southern Boobook is nocturnal. Birds are often observed perched on an open branch or tree-top. It is also known as the 'Mopoke'. The Southern Boobook's nest is normally a tree hollow, which is usually sparsely lined with wood shavings, leaves and small twigs, but may be left bare. The female alone incubates the eggs, but both sexes, and sometimes a second female helper, feed the young. (Source: NSW Government Office of Environment & Heritage, 2018), (Image: Paul Balfe).