Christmas boobook
| Christmas boobook | |
|---|---|
| Illustration by Keulemans, 1900 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Strigiformes |
| Family: | Strigidae |
| Genus: | Ninox |
| Species: | N. natalis |
| Binomial name | |
| Ninox natalis Lister, 1889 | |
| Synonyms | |
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The Christmas boobook (Ninox natalis), also known as the Christmas hawk owl, Christmas Island boobook or Christmas Island hawk owl, is a species of owl in the family Strigidae.
Closely related to the hawk-owls of genus Ninox, which occur in Southeast Asia and Australia, N. natalis was first classified at species level by J.J.Lister in 1888. It was not until 1998, however, that DNA testing confirmed its status as a separate species from other owls.