The Seram boobook ( Ninox squamipila), also Hantu boobook, Moluccan boobook or Moluccan hawk owl, is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found on the islands of Seram, Kelang and Ambon Island. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland . It is threatened by habitat loss. It used to be considered a subspecies of the Moluccan boobook.
It is known to make loud vocalizations in the early evening.
It eats wild rats and snakes.
Taxonomy
The Seram boobook is part of a species complex that comprises four species. All four species used to be considered as part of a single species, the Moluccan boobook, which was classified under the scientific name
Ninox squamipila used in a broader sense.
The four species of Moluccan boobook currently recognised are:
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Norman, J.A., L. Christidis, M. Westerman, and F.A. Richard-Hall. 1998. Molecular data confirm the species status of the Christmas Island Hawk-Owl Ninox natalis. Emu 98: 197–208.
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Rheindt, F.E., and R.O. Hutchinson. 2007. A photoshot odyssey through the confused avian taxonomy of Seram and Buru (southern Moluccas). BirdingASIA 7: 18–38.
