The largest of Australia’s owls and nocturnal birds, the Powerful Owl usually inhabits the moist forests of eastern Australia.
Its main item of prey is possums of various species, though large bats such as flying foxes are also often caught.
The Powerful Owl mates for life (over 30 years in some cases) and pairs defend an all-purpose territory year-round. The male prepares the nest, which is usually a vertical hollow in a large old tree and provides the female and young with a constant supply of food during the early part of the nesting period. The female incubates the eggs and broods the young, emerging later in the nesting period to hunt for food as well. Young birds remain with the parents for several months after fledging and may stay within their parents’ territory for over a year.
A member recently couldn’t sleep and made a recording on 27 February 2025 at 2:10 a.m. on the edge of Berowra Valley National Park near Cherrybrook.
It turned out to be a Powerful Owl chick, it’s the call it makes when it has moved away from the nest and wants its parents to come.
Powerful Owls are listed as vulnerable in NSW. Our National Parks and large old trees make it possible for Powerful Owls to live in the Hornsby Shire.
Find our more about the Powerful Owl
One reply on “Powerful Owls”
Thank you for posting the sound of a chick. Recently (February/March 2025) we heard the same call in the bush, also on the edge of Berowra Valley NP, near Thornleigh. The bird called for over a week, for a few hours each night. It’s lovely to now know it was a Powerful Owl!