Whekau

Illustration of the Whekau  by John Gerrard Keulemans

The Whekau, or Laughing Owl, is one of the many island bird species that have gone extinct in the past few hundred years. When European settlers arrived in New Zealand in 1840 this bird was abundant on the islands. After only 40 years they declined to rarity, and the last Owl was found dead in 1914.

Whekau  lived in rocky, open, relatively dry areas, where they fed off of insects, rodents, small birds, and reptiles. One interesting tidbit is that these Owls actually hunted on foot! they had long, sturdy legs that helped them to chase down prey.

The Laughing Owl name comes from the fact that these birds had a very unique call. It was very loud, and sounded like a series of repeated "dismal shrieks."

Whekau went extinct for a number of reasons. Habitat loss was a major factor, as was the introduction of feline and mustelid predators to the islands. Before their extinction several specimens had been sent abroad for museum study, and luckily a handful of naturalists were able to observe the birds in the wild before they completely disappeared.

Since 1914 numerous unconfirmed sightings have popped up, and cracked egg shells were allegedly found in 1960. While the Whekau is probably extinct, it is nice to imagine that there might just be a couple of them still out there.

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Status : Extinct (?) since 1914

Location : New Zealand

Size : Length 15in (38cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Strigiformes
Family : Strigidae -- Genus : Sceloglaux -- Species : S. albifacies

Fearful Owl

Nesasio solomonensis

Say hello to the Fearful Owl, a very large owl that sports a dark face and very distinctive white eyebrows. They are very similar in appearance to the Whekau, or Laughing Owl. And if nothing is done about the downward trend they are on, they might just be extinct like the Whekau as well!

The Fearful Owl is a tropical owl found in lowland forests of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. They are very rarely seen, but they do have their own Solomon Islands postage stamp! These Raptors are a top predator in their range, most commonly feeding on the Northern Common Cuscus, along with other Cuscus species. Cuscus hunting is one of the reasons that the Fearful Owls are now Vulnerable-- their main prey is being over-hunting by man, giving them fewer things to eat.

Another reason for their decline is the growth of the logging industry. Fearful Owls need the forests in order to survive, and without them they have no where to go. It is estimated that only 6,000 of these birds remain, and there are currently no major conservation efforts in place to keep them around.

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IUCN Status : Vulnerable
Location : Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands
Size : Length up to 15in (38cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Strigiformes
Family : Strigidae -- Genus : Nesasio-- Species : N. solomonensis

Cebu Hawk Owl

Ninox rumseyi

We've been learning about many extinct animals lately, so I thought today we'd shift gears and talk about a species that is extant but was just discovered-- an example of all the mysterious animals out there that are completely new to us!

The Cebu Hawk Owl is actually one of two new Owl species found in the Philippines. They are so new that the first publications regarding them just came out this month!

The Owls was discovered by a team that has spent fifteen years researching the calls of the local Hawk Owls. It was once believed that these vocalizations all came from the same species, and an investigation was taking place to determine if there were new subspecies out there.

The interesting thing about these Owl calls is that they are not learned, like the calls of Parrots. Each call is unique to their species or subspecies, an is ingrained into their DNA. The calls of the Cebu Hawk Owl, and that of the other new species, the Camiguin Hawk Owl, were so different that scientists were able to classify them as a new species entirely.

The calls aren't the only feature distinguishing them from the other Philippine species. They also have differences in plumage, body shape, and body size when compared to the previous known species.

There is still much to learn about the Cebu Hawk Owl-- there are many many vocal recordings, but only one has ever been seen.

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Status : Possibly endangered
Location : Philippines

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Strigiformes
Genus : Ninox -- Species : N. rumseyi

Flammulated Owl

Otus flammeolus

The firs thing that came to mind when I saw this animal for the first time was, "wow... that's a tiny Owl!" And they certainly are! Flammulated Owls are really small members of their family. Their bodies are only about half a foot long, and their entire wingspan is around 14in. For a comparison, the Eurasian Eagle Owl (one of the largest Owls) can have a wingspan as large as 6ft!

Aside from their small size, Flammulated Owls can be identified by their small ear tufts and coloration that... sort of matches their name-- "flammulated" means "of a reddish hue," and the owls certainly have little bits of reddish brown here and there, though they are mostly grey.

You can find these little guys in western Canada and the United States, as well as down in Mexico where they migrate to during the winters. It was once thought that they were very rare in their range, but better surveying methods have shown otherwise. One issue was simply finding them-- they give off very monotonous, quiet calls, and it can be very hard to locate them by sound. The Owls are now considered one of the most common Pine Forest Owl species, though they are scarce in a few regions.

While most Owls feed on small mammals and other birds, the Flammulated Owls eat invertebrates exclusively. They pick spiders, moths, crickets, and all sorts of other arthropods out of the air, trees, and off the ground.

Flammulated Owls breed during the springtime, with couples pairing off and building nests inside of tree holes that were often built by Woodpeckers. 2-4 eggs are laid at a time, and the female does all of the incubating while her mates brings food. Both parents care for the chicks, who fledge at 3-5 weeks, and leave for good after another 4-5.

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IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : Western North America
Size : Length up to 6in (15cm), Wingspan 14in (36cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Strigiformes
Family : Strigidae -- Genus : Otus -- Species : O. flammeolus