Related Video “There was an increasing possibility that most, if not all birds were now beyond breeding age,” says Dr Rohan Clark, the Head of the Ornithology and Conservation Management Research Group at Monash University. The morepork is a small, dark, forest-dwelling owl. They are found in mainland New Zealand’s forests and on many offshore islands. ... Morepork Ninox novaeseelandiae. Unexpectedly, the owls stopped breeding in 2012 and the dry spell continued until 2019. CC George Wagner. The cross-Tasman relations meant that all subsequent generations of moreporks on Norfolk Island were now a unique hybrid. They discovered that although the Norfolk boobook was similar in plumage to the Tasmanian boobook, it was genetically much closer to the New Zealand subspecies. [14] The cere and bill is pale blue-grey with a black cutting edge. In fact, the two were so close genetically that they considered whether the Norfolk boobook should be recognised as a separate taxon at all, although they conceded the two were easily distinguishable in appearance, so maintained the three as subspecies; the Tasmanian boobook only diverged by 2.7% from the other two, while the powerful and rufous owls diverged by 4.4% from each other. [12], Four subspecies of Ninox novaeseelandiae are recognised by the IOC, two of which are extinct:[6], The morepork is 26 to 29 cm (10 to 11.5 in) long, with the female slightly larger than the male. Found in both native and plantation forests, its distinctive “more-pork” call is commonly heard at night in many urban parks and well-vegetated suburbs. "Norfolk Island, like many islands, has really unique biodiversity," he said. [9], Janette Norman and colleagues tested the cytochrome b DNA of three subspecies (as well as the powerful and rufous owls) to ascertain whether the closest relative was used in breeding with the last surviving female of the Norfolk boobook. "Now, as far as we know, the entire population on Norfolk have descended from that pair," Dr Clarke said. In Punakaiki, one of the morepork records is of bones beneath an entrance tomo. Rohan Clarke, an avian ecologist from Monash University, said the chicks represented the future of the species, given there were less than 50 individuals left on Earth. Because moreporks were extremely rare in fossil deposits, Millener (1991) suggested that they were recent colonists. [13] The morepork has generally dark brown head and upperparts, with pale brown spots on head and neck and white markings on the rest of the upperparts, with a pale yellow-white supercilium (eyebrow), dark brown ear coverts, and buff cheeks. Extra field staff were also allocated to monitor the owls' movements. "We were really concerned because there was every chance that the existing owls would get old and lose their reproductive ability," Dr Clarke said. Swamp harriers could feasibly prey on young moreporks.[14]. In 1989, the last remaining owl was successfully paired with a male from a New Zealand subspecies. The main hunting times are evenings and mornings, with brief bursts of activity through the night. [11], Examining both morphological and genetic (cytochrome b) characters, Michael Wink and colleagues concluded that the Australian boobook was distinct from the morepork, as was the Tasmanian boobook, which should be raised to species status as Ninox leucopsis. The upper tail is dark brown with lighter brown bars. "It's the best outcome we could have hoped for.". [18], It occurs in most habitats with trees, in Tasmania predominantly eucalypt forests and in New Zealand forests dominated by Podocarpus, Nothofagus, Metrosideros, and other hardwoods, up to the alpine tree line.
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