Brief Description |
A mounted whekau or Laughing Owl. Whekau once lived throughout the three main islands of New Zealand. They were hunted by introduced predators, and by the mid-19th century were rare in the North Island, although still fairly common in the South Island. Mounted on a branch.
Whekau were strictly nocturnal. They lived at forest edges and rocky areas in open country. Ground feeders, their diet included lizards, small birds, rodents, bats, and insects. The last known whekau was found dead in July 1914 at Blue Cliffs, South Canterbury.
Once named Sceloglaux albifacies, they were reclassified as Ninox albifacies in 2016.
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