Extinction is forever - The Laughing Owl of New Zealand (no laughing matter) If you aren’t convinced that changing habitat is a major problem for birds, take a look at the case of the Laughing Owl (Sceloglaux albifacies), also known as the Whekau. This species is now extinct and “habitat conversion” is believed to be the primary reason why (Birdlife International: birdlife.org/datazone/species/factsheet/22689496). The last confirmed record of this species was an owl found dead in 1914. There were unconfirmed reports even into the 1960s (maybe even 1980s) but not a trace since then (Williams and Harrison 1972, Tennyson and Martinson 2006, Olsen 1999: hbw/species/laughing-owl-sceloglaux-albifacies). The Laughing Owl was a New Zealand endemic (two subspecies: one on North Island + one on South Island, as well as Stewart Island and the Chatham Islands). The species was apparently relatively common in the early 1800s but already declining noticeably by the 1840s and already very rare by the 1880s (Olsen 1999). Laughing Owls had an interesting ecological niche, roosting and nesting in rock formations and cliffs and fond of more open habitat, including forest edge (Williams and Harrison 1972), which made them vulnerable to grazing and burning by Europeans. Nonetheless, such habitat conversion usually comes accompanied by other things and in New Zealand’s case, the plethora of introduced mammals such as rats, cats, stouts, pigs, deer and others wreaked havoc on New Zealand’s native avifauna (Williams and Harrison 1972). Even though Laughing Owls were probably capable of preying on introduced rats (their size = 38–47 cm and weight ~600 g), stouts and cats likely took their toll. This species is thought to have hunted primarily on the ground, possibly even running down prey on foot, which could have made them further vulnerable. Direct persecution such as shooting or poisoning (and let us not forget history’s lesson of how fond human beings have demonstrated themselves to be of persecuting raptors and owls) and scientific specimen collecting may also have played a role. The sad truth is the above is really conjecture (best guesses) and we are not really sure what exactly happened to provoke the catastrophic decline of this unique species. We know as little of this bird’s lineage as we do of its demise. Laughing owl is thought to be a relictual species related to Uroglaux and Ninox but, at least on current knowledge, seemingly different enough to warrant its own monotypic genus. We hardly even got a chance to learn from this bird before we wiped them off the face of the planet. Here is a little glimpse into what the world has lost – scanned from page 69 of Mikkola, H. 2014. Owls of the World - A Photographic Guide. Second Edition. Bloomsbury Publishing: London, U.K (used with permission of both the author and the publisher). Other resources: owlpages/image.php?image=species-Sceloglaux-albifacies-2 owlpages/image.php?image=species-Sceloglaux-albifacies-1 nzbirds/birds/whekau.html
Posted on: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 02:23:00 +0000
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