Hoot is an owl with brown feathers and yellow eyes.
Abilities[]
This sleepy owl can carry Mario in the air, if Mario manages to grab Hoot. Hoot then flies high in the air. The player can have Mario hold on to Hoot's talons by holding (or in Super Mario 64 DS) and then release the button to have Mario drop downward.
Hoot is encountered only in Whomp's Fortress, where he appears as early as the third mission, Shoot into the Wild Blue, and still appears in all subsequent missions. Mario can find Hoot within a tree at the start by climbing up into its leaves, causing Hoot to fly out. Hoot shows that he is slightly annoyed that he was woken from his sleep, but nonetheless offers Mario to take a short ride.
To go for a ride, Mario has to grab on to Hoot's talons, upon which Hoot soars high up into the air. If Mario drops from Hoot, this could result in him losing a life, depending on whether he falls down into the abyss surrounding the course or if he is low on health and falls down from a height. If Mario holds on to Hoot for too long, Hoot complains about his weight and drops Mario himself. After dropping Mario, Hoot always goes back to the start, where the tree is, and flies close to the tree for the remainder of the mission, up until Mario either exits Whomp's Fortress or obtains a Power Star.
Hoot retains his role from Super Mario 64, but this time can also be ridden by Yoshi, Luigi, and Wario, since all of them were added as playable characters. Aside from appearing in Whomp's Fortress, Hoot can also be found in Cool, Cool Mountain during all missions, in Snowman's Land during all missions except the first one, Snowman's Big Head, in Tall, Tall Mountain in all missions except the first one, Scale the Mountain, and the large portion of Tiny-Huge Island in all missions starting with the third, Rematch with Koopa the Quick.
Hoot is gambling at the Jungle Game Hut, but is on a losing streak and requests the help of the player's character. By agreeing to it, the quest Debt's a Hoot begins, in which the player has to win at the minigame Stop 'Em to remove Hoot's debt. By helping Hoot, the reward is the minigame itself.
In the epilogue, it is said that Hoot cannot stop shaking his head.
Slip Slidin' Away • Lil' Penguin Lost • Big Penguin Race • Frosty Slide for 8 Red Coins • Snowman's Lost His Head • Wall Kicks Will Work (N64)/Mario's Super Wall Kick (DS) • Switch Star of Cool, Cool Mountain (DS)
Big Boo's Haunt
Go on a Ghost Hunt • Ride Big Boo's Merry Go Round • Secret of the Haunted Books • Seek the 8 Red Coins • Big Boo's Balcony • Eye to Eye in the Secret Room • Switch Star of the Basement
Hazy Maze Cave
Swimming Beast in the Cavern • Elevate for 8 Red Coins • Metal-Head Mario Can Move! (N64)/Metal-Head Wario Can Move (DS) • Navigating the Toxic Maze • A-Maze-Ing Emergency Exit • Watch for Rolling Rocks • Underground Switch Star
In the Talons of the Big Bird • Shining Atop the Pyramid • Inside the Ancient Pyramid • Stand Tall On the Four Pillars • Free Flying For 8 Red Coins (5th Star, N64) (7th Star, DS) • Tox Box Switch Star (DS) • Pyramid Puzzle
Snowman's Big Head • Chill with the Bully • In the Deep Freeze (N64) • Yoshi's Ice Sculpture (DS) • Whirl from the Freezing Pond • Shell Shreddin' for Red Coins (N64) • Snowman's Silver Star (DS) • Into the Igloo • Red Coins in the House (DS)
Wet-Dry World
Shocking Arrow Lifts! • Top o' the Town • Secrets in the Shallows and Sky (N64)/5 Secrets in the Shallows and Sky (DS) • Express Elevator--Hurry Up! • Go to Town for Red Coins (N64)/Go to Town for the Red Coins (DS) • Quick Race Through Downtown! • Soaked Silver Stars (DS)
Tall, Tall Mountain
Scale the Mountain • Mystery of the Monkey Cage • Scary 'Shrooms, Red Coins • Mysterious Mountainside • Breathtaking View from Bridge (Star 5, N64)/Breathtaking View from the Bridge (Star 7, DS) • Blast to the Lonely Mushroom (Star 6, N64) (Star 5, DS) • 5 Secrets of the Mountain
Roll into the Cage (N64) • Luigi in the Cage (DS) • The Pit and the Pendulums (N64) • The Pendulum Switch Star (DS) • Get a Hand • Stomp on the Thwomp •Timed Jumps on Moving Bars • Stop Time for Red Coins • Tick Tock Silver Stars
Rainbow Ride
Cruiser Crossing the Rainbow • The Big House in the Sky • Coins Amassed in a Maze • Swingin' in the Breeze • Tricky Triangles! • Somewhere over the Rainbow • Switch Star of the Manor
(or 
in Super Mario 64 DS) and then release the button to have Mario drop downward.
