I heard a soft mournful hoot at night

My sighting, led by the often repeated calls of "hoooo-ooo", was of perhaps the commonest and most frequently seen of the Hong Kong owls, the pretty Collared Scops Owl.

I saw it around 10pm two nights ago, on top of Tai Mo Shan, deep in some trees, but they can be found throughout the SAR, wherever there is suitable woodlands for them to perch and hunt. It raises its ear tufts when alarmed, framing a face of feathers and red rimmed eyes.

There is a stamp dedicated to this lovely bird, issued in 2006.