Tasmanian Masked Owl
Tyto novaehollandiae castanops
Aboriginal name -Bok-Bok

Our Masked Owls, Owlbert and Hootie, are unable to be released due to wing damage and amputation from road and power line accidents. We hope they will breed in the future so we can release the young to maintain good numbers of this beautiful Endangered creature in the wild.

Female Tasmanian Masked Owls are the largest Barn Owls in the world. Masked Owls display extreme Reversed Sexual Dimorphism, where the female is much larger than the male. Females are 1.4 to 2 times the weight of the male.

They love to eat Quolls, Possums, Pademelons, birds species and Antechinus. Masked Owls have a relatively large gape and usually swallow prey in large pieces or whole. Their pellets often contain large bones and whole skulls.
Caves and tree hollows and thick heavy foliage are favourite roosting places by day. Masked Owls nest predominantly in large old. eucalypt tree's, preferably with large hollows, in dry open forests.

The female lays 2 - 4 eggs in mid to late October. They will hatch in 42 days, usually in very late November to early December. Masked Owls are fledged in mid to late February.
Masked Owls have a deep. loud and harsh call similar to a Barn Owl and other calls which are associated with breeding.

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo

FAMILY: Cacatuidae GENUS: Cacatua SPECIES: galerita

The Sulphur-crested Cockatoo is a large white parrot, measuring 45cm - 50cm. It has a dark grey-black bill, a distinctive sulphur-yellow crest and a yellow wash on the underside of the wings. Sexes are similar, although the female can be separated at close range by its red-brown eye (darker brown in the male)

Sulphur-crested Cockatoos are common and familiar in Australia. Their range extends throughout the northern and eastern mainland, and Tasmania. Sulphur-crested Cockatoos are found in a variety of timbered habitats and are common around human settlements. The birds stay in the same area all year round.

The Sulphur-crested Cockatoo's normal diet consists of berries, seeds, nuts and roots. Feeding normally takes place in small to large groups, with one or more members of the group watching for danger from a nearby perch.

When not feeding, birds will bite off smaller branches and leaves from trees. These items are not eaten, however. The activity may help to keep the bill trimmed and from growing too large.

Sulphur-crested Cockatoos breed in August to January in the south of their range, and May to September in the north. The one to three eggs are laid in a suitable tree hollow, which is prepared by both sexes. Both birds also incubate and care for the chicks, which hatch after about 30 days. The chicks leave the nest after a further 60 to 70 days, but remain with the parents all year round. Family groups will stay together indefinitely

Pink (Major Mitchell) Cockatoo

FAMILY: Cacatuidae GENUS: Cacatua SPECIES: leadbeateri

Medium sized pink cockatoo with distinct yellow and red bands in crest which is raised in alarm or display. Very slight sexual dimorphism. Females have a (light) reddish-brown iris with males a (dark) brown to black iris. Females also tend to have a wider yellow band in the crest.
Length: 320-360mm.

Their distribution ranges across the arid interior of mainland Australia. Status- Common Their favoured habitat is Desert scrub, open woodland (mallee, Mulga and callitris) and adjacent agricultural land.

Major Mitchell Cockatoos eat a diet of mainly seeds, grains, fruits, tubers and some insects. Theit time for breeding of this species is July-January. Usual nesting site is a large hollow limb - often bordering water courses - ranging in height from 3 to 20m. Both sexes involved in nest preparation. Nest material may be chewed wood and bark. Both sexes incubate the eggs and care for the young.

Like so many cockatoos, Male Major Mitchells approach females with the body and crest erect. He bobs and flicks his head from side to side excitedly and utters his normal call (also excitedly). Females normally respond to this by ruffing her crest and bobbing the head. Major Mitchells form strong pair bonds. Birds in a pair mostly enjoy each other's company and sit close together. Mutual preening is practised all year round.

Major Mitchells usually become sexually mature at about 3-4 years of age, although younger birds (2yrs) have been known to breed. Clutch: 1-3 white oval eggs. Incubation period: 26 days. Fledging usually occurs at 56 days. .