The brown boobook (Ninox scutulata), also known as the brown hawk-owl, is an owl which is a resident breeder in south Asia from India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal east to western Indonesia and south China.

The brown boobook was formally described in 1822 by Stamford Raffles from a specimen collected in Sumatra under the binomial name Strix scutulata.

It has a hawk-like shape due to its long tail and lack of a distinct facial disk.

The call is a repeated low soft, musical oo-uk ...ooo-uk... which may be heard at dusk and dawn.

This owl is quite common in towns and cities like Colombo, Sri Lanka, as well as suburban areas close to buildings.