Text extracted from Gill B.J.; Bell, B.D.; Chambers, G.K.; Medway, D.G.; Palma, R.L.; Scofield, R.P.; Tennyson, A.J.D.; Worthy, T.H. 2010. Checklist of the birds of New Zealand, Norfolk and Macquarie Islands, and the Ross Dependency, Antarctica. 4th edition. Wellington, Te Papa Press and Ornithological Society of New Zealand. Pages 264-265.

Order STRIGIFORMES: Owls Regarding the following nomina dubia, see under genus Aegotheles Vigors & Horsfield: Strix parvissima Ellman, 1861: Zoologist 19: 7465. Nomen dubium. Strix parvissima Potts, 1871: Trans. N.Z. Inst. 3: 68 – Rangitata River, Canterbury. Nomen dubium. Athene (Strix) parvissima Potts; Potts 1873, Trans. N.Z. Inst. 5: 172. Nomen dubium

Family STRIGIDAE Leach: Typical Owls Strigidae Leach, 1819: Eleventh room. In Synopsis Contents British Museum 15th Edition, London: 64 – Type genus Strix Linnaeus, 1758.

Subfamily BUBONINAE Vigors: Hawk-owls and Allies Bubonina Vigors, 1825: Zoological Journal 2: 393 – Type genus Bubo Dumeril, 1805.

Genus Ninox Hodgson Ninox Hodgson, 1837: Madras Journ. Lit. Sci. 5: 23 – Type species (by original designation) Ninox nipalensis Hodgson = Ninox scutulata lugubris (Tickell). Hieracoglaux Kaup, 1848: Isis von Oken, Heft 41: col. 768 – Type species (by subsequent designation) Falco connivens Latham = Ninox connivens (Latham). As a subgenus of Ninox. Spiloglaux Kaup, 1848: Isis von Oken, Heft 41: col. 768 – Type species (by subsequent designation) Strix boobook Latham = Ninox boobook (Latham). As a subgenus of Ninox. Ieraglaux Kaup, 1852: in Jardine, Contrib. Ornith.: 107 – Type species (by subsequent designation) Falco connivens Latham = Ninox connivens (Latham). Rhabdoglaux Bonaparte, 1854: Revue Mag. Zool. 2 (2): 543 – Type species (by subsequent designation) Athene humeralis Bonaparte = Ninox rufa humeralis (Bonaparte). Berneyornis Mathews, 1916: Birds Australia 5: 305 – Type species (by original designation and monotypy) Athene? Strenua Gould = Ninox strenua (Gould).

Ninox novaeseelandiae (Gmelin) Morepork There are several taxa in this complex for which opinions are divided regarding taxonomic rank (Mees 1964, 1982; Schodde & Mason 1980; Christidis & Boles 1994; Schodde 1997b). Several forms from islands north of Australia were all accepted in the most recent morphological study (Johnstone & Darnell 1997): N. n. plesseni Stressemann, 1929—Alor; N. n. fusca (Vieillot, 1817)—Timor; N. n. moae Mayr, 1914—Moa, Romah and Leti; N. n. cinnamomina Hartert, 1906—Babar; N. n. remigialis Stresemann, 1930—Kai; N. n. rotiensis Johnstone & Darnell, 1997—Roti; and N. n. pusilla Mayr & Rand, 1935— New Guinea. Australian boobooks i.e., N. n. ocellata (Bonaparte, 1850); N. n. boobook (Latham, 1802); N. n. lurida De Vis, 1887; N. n. leucopsis (Gould, 1838); and N. n. halmaturina Mathews, 1912, were usually considered subspecies of N. novaeseelandiae (e.g. Christidis & Boles 1994). Others (e.g. Schodde 1997b) assigned them to a species—N. boobook (Latham)—separate from N. novaeseelandiae and including N. b. undulata (Latham, 1802) on Norfolk Island and N. b. albaria Ramsay, 1888 on Lord Howe Island. However, genetic studies (Norman, Christidis et al. 1998; Norman, Olsen et al. 1998) supported the conclusion of Christidis & Boles (1994) that the Australian, Norfolk and New Zealand forms comprise one species with intrataxon genetic variation much less than between taxa whose distinction at species level is uncontested. We therefore accept the following subspecies in the New Zealand region: N. n. novaeseelandiae restricted to New Zealand, and N. n. undulata (Latham, 1802) on Norfolk Island.

† Ninox novaeseelandiae undulata (Latham) Norfolk Island Boobook Strix undulata Latham, 1802: Index Ornith. Suppl.: 17 – Norfolk Island. Ninox boobook royana Mathews, 1912: Austral Avian Rec. 1: 120 – Norfolk Island. Spiloglaux novaeseelandiae royana (Mathews); Mathews 1916, Birds Australia 5(3): 333. Ninox novaeseelandiae undulata (Latham); Peters 1940, Check-list Birds World 4: 140. Ninox royana Mathews; Wakelin 1968, Notornis 15: 171. Ninox novaeseelandiae; Moore 1981, Notornis 28: 55. Not Strix novaeseelandiae Gmelin, 1788. Ninox undulata (Latham); Moore 1985, Notornis 32: 318. Ninox (Ninox) novaeseelandiae undulata (Latham); Schodde 1997, Zool. Cat. Australia 37.2: 276.

Extinct. Norfolk Island only. The population declined until just one female survived in about 1996, when New Zealand individuals of N. n. novaeseelandiae were introduced and interbred. A population of hybrids is slowly increasing (Higgins 1999).

Ninox novaeseelandiae novaeseelandiae (Gmelin) Morepork Strix novae Seelandiae Gmelin, 1788: Syst. Nat., 13th edition 1(1): 296. Based on the “New Zealand Owl” of Latham 1782, Gen. Synop. Birds: 149 – Queen Charlotte Sound, Marlborough. Strix fulva Latham, 1790: Index Ornith. 1: 65 – Queen Charlotte Sound, Marlborough. Strix novae-seelandiae maculata Kerr, 1792: Anim. Kingdom 1: 538 – New Zealand. Noctua zelandica Quoy & Gaimard, 1830: in Dumont d’Urville, Voyage Astrolabe Zool. 1: 168 – Tasman Bay. Athene Novae Seelandiae (Gmelin); G.R. Gray 1843, in E. Dieffenbach, Travels in N.Z. 2: 186. Strix fulva J.R. Forster, 1844: in M.H.C. Lichtenstein, Descrip. Animalium: 71 – Queen Charlotte Sound, Marlborough. Junior primary homonym of Strix fulva Latham, 1790. Noctua venatica Peale, 1848: U.S. Expl. Exped. 8: 75, 309 – Bay of Islands. Ieraglaux novae zealandiae (Gmelin); Kaup 1852, Trans. Zool. Soc. London 4(6): 218. Unjustified emendation. Athene nova zealandiae (Gmelin); Cassin 1858, U.S. Expl. Exped. Ornithology 8: 112. Unjustified emendation. Athene novae zealandiae (Gmelin); G.R. Gray 1862, Ibis 4: 216. Unjustified emendation. Spiloglaux novae zealandiae (Gmelin); Buller 1873, History of the Birds of N.Z., 1st edition: 17. Unjustified emendation. Ninox novae-zealandiae (Gmelin); Hutton 1904, Index Faunae N.Z.: 29. Unjustified emendation. Spiloglaux novaeseelandiae novaeseelandiae (Gmelin); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th ser.): 421. Spiloglaux novaeseelandiae venatica (Peale); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th ser.): 422. Ninox novaeseelandiae novaeseelandiae (Gmelin); Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 56.

New Zealand: North and South Islands and Stewart Island / Rakiura plus most larger forested offshore islands from the Manawatäwhi / Three Kings Group to Codfish Island (Whenuahou). Absent from the Kermadec, Chatham and subantarctic islands, except as a vagrant on the Snares Islands / Tini Heke (Miskelly et al. 2001a). Widespread, but sparingly distributed in drier eastern areas. Late Pleistocene and Holocene fossil and midden records from both North and South Islands. Its reported fossil occurrence on Chatham Island (Forbes 1893) has not been verified by subsequent investigations of the fossil fauna.