A migratory wild owl spotted in Hong Kong over the past week has attracted scores of photographers, sparking a warning from an environmental group after a video of wildlife enthusiasts provoking the nocturnal bird for pictures went viral.

In the video, a northern boobook, a migratory owl that stops in Hong Kong during spring and autumn, is seen being bothered by wildlife photographers who mimic hoots and taunt it for “being sleepy” during daytime.

“Without your noises, it’s falling asleep again. Keep shouting, keep shouting!” some photographers are heard saying in the video, filmed last Monday by a bird watcher and shared by the environmental advocacy group The Green Earth on Wednesday.

The owl opens its eyes widely upon hearing the noise, before returning to a squint, which leads the enthusiasts to pester the bird for closing its eyes again.

The northern boobook is a small owl species that travels to Southeast Asia to spend winter before returning to eastern mainland China, Korea and Japan for breeding. The owls typically make stopovers in Hong Kong during spring and autumn to rest and replenish themselves.

The bird’s large, bright yellow eyes have made it a popular subject for wildlife photography enthusiasts in the city, with more than 50 sightings of the owl posted on Facebook over the past week.