PREVIEW

An Australian conservation group is ‘over the moon’ to discover an endangered Masked Owl living near one of its national parks.

Aussie Ark discovered the bird living in Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary in Barrington Tops in New South Wales.

The Masked Owl is the second largest nocturnal bird in Australia after the Powerful Owl, with females (the largest of the genders) weighing up to 1.2 kilograms.

The magnificent bird is endangered throughout its range, heavily impacted by lack of food, destruction of habitat and nest sites, and the ingestion of poison bait.

Aussie Ark's Managing Director Tim Faulkner made the discovery while on a survey with US partners Re:wild, with Re:wild’s Barney Long taking five stunning photographs which confirm the bird’s identity.

He said, “Aussie Ark has been conducting nocturnal surveys in the Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary for 13 years and this is the first ever time we’ve seen these owls,”

“To have them turn up in the Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary means we’re doing something right! It’s proof of a healthy ecosystem.”

The main food sources of the Masked Owl are bush rats, swamp rats, antechinus, and bandicoots.

All these species naturally occur in the Sanctuary and are also thriving thanks to the Sanctuary’s feral-proof protection, offering the owls a wonderful smorgasbord and encouraging them to stay.

“Now that they’re there, we want to know more.” Mr Faulkner said. “We’ll be working with Birdlife Australia over the next couple of months to confirm numbers and see if they’re breeding. Hopefully, we’ll be able to locate nest sites.”