Laughing Owl

Ninox albifacies

The laughing owl, also known as whēkau, the laughing jackass, 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, although recent genetic studies indicate that it belongs with the boobook owls in the genus Ninox.

Scientific name

Ninox albifacies

Family

Owls

IUCN status

EX