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FURTHER OBSERVATIONS ON THE BREEDING BIOLOGY OF THE POWERFUL OWL Ninox strenua lN SOUTH-EASTERN AUSTRALIA


This paper describes significant new information on the breeding biology of the Powerful Owl Ntnox strenua from Victoria and New South Wales. The observations were made in areas of eucalypt forest within the urban fringes of major cities (Melbourne a nd Sydney) and in more secluded forest near Eden in south-eastern NSW. A banded first year female Powerful Owl dispersed from her birthplace to mate with a recently widowed, neighbouring male at a nest site 900 metres from her birthplace. She layed eggs at twelve months of age, and successfully reared two young in the nest used by her predecessor during the previous year. This is the only documented case of a banded nestling Powerful Owl being found outside its natal area. Evidence is presented to suggest that males may be responsible for selecting nest sites. Two instances are reported of males raising chicks following the death of their mates. Recently widowed males at three sites were observed to pair opportunistically with new females, including one case where murder was suspected. On several occasions, non-breeding floaters were observed in the territories of established breeding pairs.

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