Thursday, 18 September 2025
As Bird of the Year heats up, we’re spotlighting some of the most extraordinary species in the running, like the Powerful Owl. We spoke with Andrew Dinwoodie, BirdLife Australia’s Powerful Owl Coordinator, about why this mysterious formidable predator deserves your vote – and your support.
Nominations are open for Guardian/Birdlife Australia Bird of the Year 2025. Share your thoughts on which birds should be included in this years poll.
The Powerful Owl has an imposing size (~60cm), can lift heavy prey hence its name, and has huge orange/yellow talons. It has piercing yellow laser-beam eyes, a distinctive “hoot hoot…..hoot hoot” call, and very groovy chocolate-coloured chevrons on its breast that look like flying foxes silhouetted against a moonlit night sky! What is not to love!
Unfortunately, they are listed as Vulnerable in NSW, QLD, and Vic, and Endangered in SA.
However, Powerful Owls are faring okay in urban areas—so long as they can find a 250-year-old hollow-bearing gumtree to nest in.
These critical trees are being lost through habitat clearing, bushfires, and hazard reduction burns, often because they are deemed risky and cut down instead of being preserved with other risk mitigation measures. Secondary poisoning from Second Generation Anti-coagulant Rodenticides (SGARs) is another major threat; this occurs when owls consume prey that has been poisoned. Alarmingly, a BirdLife study found rodenticides in 37 of 38 dead Powerful Owls tested around Sydney.
Read about how rat poison threatens Powerful Owls in the Guardian.
Although listed as “Vulnerable” in most states, the owl’s impressive charisma makes it an ideal species to engage the community in conservation. Its distinctive, loud call and imposing features make it easy for citizen scientists to monitor. BirdLife runs dedicated Powerful Owl Volunteer Citizen Science Projects in Sydney and South East Queensland to support these efforts.
The largest of Australia’s owls, the Powerful Owl usually inhabits the moist forests of eastern Australia. Its main item of prey is possums of various species.
Australia's largest owl, the Powerful Owl has a wingspan of up to 140 cm. In suburban Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, they're usually seen round remnant bushland, where they face issues including lack of nesting sites and collisions with cars and windows. We're securing a future for Powerful Owl
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