Northern Boobook

Ninox japonica

The northern boobook (Ninox japonica) belongs to the family Strigidae (true owls) and is a raptorial owl endemic to eastern and southern countries of Asia. The species was considered, until recently, a conspecific of Ninox scutulata or brown boobook, a species of similar distribution encompassing 11 subspecies. The species currently includes two subspecies, the migrant Ninox japonica japonica and the non-migrant Ninox japonica totogo. Despite being considered as the most common breeding owl in Japan, little research has been conducted on the species and subspecies and the taxonomic classification of N.j.togoto and N.j.japonica has been a subject of debate. There are no indications of significant decline in northern boobook populations and therefore, its conservation status has been classified as least concern by the IUCN Red List.