Laughing owl
| Laughing owl | |
|---|---|
| Live N. a. albifacies specimen photographed between 1889 and 1910 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Strigiformes |
| Family: | Strigidae |
| Genus: | Ninox |
| Species: | †N. albifacies |
| Binomial name | |
| †Ninox albifacies (Gray, GR, 1844) | |
| Subspecies | |
| |
| Range of N. albifacies Extinct | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Sceloglaux albifacies | |
The laughing owl (Ninox albifacies), 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 ("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.