Data Zone
Justification of Red List Category
This species has a very large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). Despite the fact that the population trend appears to be decreasing, the decline is not believed to be sufficiently rapid to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size has not been quantified, but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
Population justification
The global population size has not been quantified, but the species is described as locally common (Konig et al. 1999).
Trend justification
This species's population is suspected to be in decline owing to continued deforestation, driven by a variety of threats including the expansion of agriculture, clearance for livestock grazing, logging and mining.
N. philippensis occurs widely throughout the central and northern islands of the Philippines, where it is known from Biliran, Bohol, Boracay, Buad, Carabao, Catanduanes, Guimaras, Leyte, Lubang, Luzon, Marinduque, Masbate, Negros, Panay, Polillo Samar, Semirara, Siquijor and Ticao (Rasmussen et al. 2012).
Occurs in primary and secondary forest, including remnant patches and at edges (Kennedy et al. 2000, del Hoyo et al. 1999).
15-20cm. A small hawk-owl, with small but obvious whitish supercilia, and dark streaked underparts lacking barring. This species shares long, obvious filamentous 'whiskers' with N. spilocephala, from which it differs in voice and in the unmarked crown, spotted in N. spilocephala. Similar species. The other Ninox formerly included with the present species have barring or spots on the crown, have much shorter 'whiskers' and most have barring below.
Text account compilers
Butchart, S., Ekstrom, J., Symes, A. & Taylor, J.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2023) Species factsheet: Ninox philippensis. Downloaded from
http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/luzon-boobook-ninox-philippensis on 06/06/2023.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2023) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
http://datazone.birdlife.org on 06/06/2023.
