![]() ![]() Powerful Owls nest in large tree hollows (at least 0.5 m deep), in large eucalypts (diameter at breast height of 80-240 cm) that are at least 150 years old.Where hollow trees and prey have been depleted, the owls need up to 4000 ha. In good habitats a mere 400 ha can support a pair when prey are dense. Pairs of Powerful Owls demonstrate high fidelity to a large territory, the size of which varies with habitat quality and thus prey densities.As most prey species require hollows and a shrub layer, these are important habitat components for the owl. Flying foxes are important prey in some areas birds comprise about 10-50% of the diet depending on the availability of preferred mammals. At higher elevations, such as the tableland forests, the Greater Glider may constitute almost all of the prey for a pair of Powerful Owls. For example in southern NSW, Ringtail Possum make up the bulk of prey in the lowland or coastal habitat. There may be marked regional differences in the prey taken by Powerful Owls. The main prey items are medium-sized arboreal marsupials, particularly the Greater Glider, Common Ringtail Possum and Sugar Glider.It roosts by day in dense vegetation comprising species such as Turpentine Syncarpia glomulifera, Black She-oak Allocasuarina littoralis, Blackwood Acacia melanoxylon, Rough-barked Apple Angophora floribunda, Cherry Ballart Exocarpus cupressiformis and a number of eucalypt species. The species breeds and hunts in open or closed sclerophyll forest or woodlands and occasionally hunts in open habitats. The Powerful Owl requires large tracts of forest or woodland habitat but can occur in fragmented landscapes as well.The Powerful Owl inhabits a range of vegetation types, from woodland and open sclerophyll forest to tall open wet forest and rainforest.Recent increases in population density across Sydney and some other semi-urban areas do not seem to be solely due to increased awareness of this flagship species. Now at low densities throughout most of its eastern range, rare along the Murray River and former inland populations may never recover. In NSW, it is widely distributed throughout the eastern forests from the coast inland to tablelands, with scattered records on the western slopes and plains suggesting occupancy prior to land clearing. The Powerful Owl is endemic to eastern and south-eastern Australia, mainly on the coastal side of the Great Dividing Range from Mackay to south-western Victoria. For teachers, schools and community educators. ![]()
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