Known to inhabit deep crevices of limestone cliffs, the laughing owl was the only endemic owl species in New Zealand. It was easily recognizable for its loud cry that sounded like repeated shrieks (hence its name).
The laughing owl (Ninox albifacies) was an extinct species of owl that was native to New Zealand. It was also known as the whēkau or the white-faced owl.
The laughing owl was plentiful when European settlers arrived in New Zealand. Its scientific description was published in 1845, but it was largely or completely extinct by 1914. The last known bird was found dead on a road at Blue Cliffs Station, near Timaru, in 1914.
The laughing owl was a nocturnal predator. It nested on the ground, where it fell prey to cats, rats, goats, and weasels. It nested in cavities in limestone bluffs and probably also in tree cavities where available.
The laughing owl became extinct due to:
· The clearance of its habitat to create farms
· Newly introduced predators
· The laughing owl was one of two owl species endemic to New Zealand, the other being the ruru, or morepork.
The laughing owl (Ninox albifacies), also known as whēkau or the white-faced owl, is an extinct species of owl that was endemic to New Zealand. Plentiful when European settlers arrived in New Zealand, its scientific description was published in 1845, but it was largely or completely extinct by 1914. The species was traditionally considered to belong to the monotypic genus Sceloglaux Kaup, 1848 ("scoundrel owl", probably because of the mischievous-sounding calls), although recent genetic studies indicate that it belongs with the boobook owls in the genus Ninox.
By 1880, the species was becoming rare. Only a few specimens were collected due to its location. Soon, the last recorded specimen was found dead at Bluecliffs Station in Canterbury, New Zealand on July 5, 1914. Unconfirmed reports have been made since then; the last (unconfirmed) North Island records were in 1925 and 1926, at the Wairaumoana branch of Lake Waikaremoana (St. Paul & McKenzie, 1977; Blackburn, 1982). In his book The Wandering Naturalist, Brian Parkinson describes reports of a laughing owl in the Pakahi near Ōpōtiki in the 1940s. An unidentified bird was heard flying overhead and giving "a most unusual weird cry which might almost be described as maniacal" at Saddle Hill, Fiordland, in February 1952, and laughing owl egg fragments were apparently found in Canterbury in 1960.
Extinction was caused by persecution (mainly for specimens), land use changes, and the introduction of predators such as cats and stoats. Until the late 20th century the species' disappearance was generally accepted to be due to competition by introduced predators for the kiore, or Pacific rat, a favorite prey of the laughing owl (an idea originally advanced by Walter Buller). However, since the kiore is itself an introduced animal, the laughing owl originally preyed on small birds, reptiles, and bats, and later probably used introduced mice, as well. Direct predation on this unwary and gentle-natured bird seems much more likely to have caused the species' extinction.
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