NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Rufous Boobook
Ninox rufa (Gould, 1846)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The rufous owl (Ninox rufa), also known as the rufous boobook, is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It was described in 1846 by John Gould, an English ornithologist. Its common name reflects the rufous-coloured feathers that these owls are covered with in adulthood. While it is uncommon, the species has a wide range, including Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea.
The rufous owl is a large owl species, ranging in weight from 700 to 1,700 g (25 to 60 oz), depending on sex and age. It is only slightly smaller than the largest owl in Australia, the powerful owl (Ninox strenua), which typically weighs between 1,050 and 1,700 g (37 and 60 oz). The rufous owl is a generalist nocturnal predator and generally solitary. It is seldom aggressive to humans except in situations in which it feels its nest or offspring are threatened.
Wikipedia contributors, Rufous owl; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T04:07:46.181096+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Ninox rufa (Gould, 1846)
- Name authority
- (Gould, 1846)
- Common name
- Rufous Boobook
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Strigiformes
- Family
- Strigidae
- Genus
- Ninox
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderStrigiformes
- familyStrigidae
- subfamilyNinoxinae
- genusNinox Hodgson, 1837
- speciesNinox rufa (Gould, 1846)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Ninox. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Andaman BoobookNinox affinis Beavan, 1867 | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Australian BoobookNinox boobook (Latham, 1801) | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Togian BoobookNinox burhani Indrawan & Somadikarta, 2004 | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Barking BoobookNinox connivens (Latham, 1801) | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Cinnabar BoobookNinox ios Rasmussen, 1999 | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Mindoro BoobookNinox mindorensis Ogilvie-Grant, 1896 | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Christmas BoobookNinox natalis Lister, 1889 | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Hume's BoobookNinox obscura Hume, 1872 | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| New Britain BoobookNinox odiosa P. L. Sclater, 1877 | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Speckled BoobookNinox punctulata (Quoy & Gaimard, 1832) | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Chocolate BoobookNinox randi Deignan, 1951 | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Sulu BoobookNinox reyi Oustalet, 1880 | StrigidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Athene rufa Gould, 1846 Gould, 1846 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=555475 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:47FKM. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.