Australian Owl Genetics Project

Museum Victoria is continuing its exciting project to learn more about owls through studying their DNA. The project, sponsored by Australian Geographic, will provide valuable information for the conservation of owls and their habitats, as well as insights into the origin and evolution of Australia’s owls.

Mount of a Masked Owl, Tyto novaebollandie
Photographer: Benjamin Healley. Source: Museum Victoria

Australia’s Owls

Australia has nine species of owl. They fall into two genera, Ninox (hawk-owls and boobooks) and Tyto (barn owls and masked owls). The four species of Ninox (Rufous Owl, Powerful Owl, Barking Owl and Southern Boobook) all have large, yellow eyes and a hawk-like face. The five species of Tyto (Masked Owl, Sooty Owl, Lesser Sooty Owl, Grass Owl and Barn Owl) all have a heart-shaped facial disc. Some species, like the Boobook and Barn Owl, are widely distributed across Australia, while others, like the Lesser Sooty Owl, have a restricted distribution. Australia’s owls are more often heard than seen.

The Australian Owl Genetics Project

The survival of Australia’s owls is threatened by land clearing and fragmentation of their forest habitats. Unfortunately, conservation efforts are hampered by a lack of basic knowledge about the biology and ecology of owls – studying an animal that is only active at night is extremely difficult!

To improve our knowledge of Australian owls, and assist conservation efforts, Museum Victoria scientists are studying the DNA of owls. The project will help to assess the impact of deforestation on owl populations, to determine if owl populations are at risk from inbreeding, and to establish any patterns of movement of owls within and between forest fragments.

The project will also examine the relationships between Australian owls and owls from other parts of the world so we can discover more about how they have evolved.

One of Museum Victoria’s DNA laboratory scientists preparing Hawk Owls.
Photographer: Michelle FcFarlane. Source: Museum Victoria

Want to know more about owls?

For more information on Australia’s owls, see the July 2003 edition of Australian Geographic magazine.

The Discovery Centre at Melbourne Museum has a variety of resources for additional information on Australian Owls. The Discovery Centre can be reached by telephone on (03) 8341 7111, or via email on discoverycentre@museum.vic.gov.au. You can also access Discovery Centre resources via the website www.museum.vic.gov.au/discoverycentre.

Powerful Owl, Ninox strenua
Photographer & Source: Ted Shimba