Southern boobook point out." Gould recorded local aboriginal names: "Goor-goor-da" (Western Australia), "Mel-in-de-ye" (Port Essington), and "Koor-koo" (South Australia). Alternative common names include spotted owl and brown owl. The Ngarluma people of the western Pilbara knew it as "gurrgumarlu". In the Yuwaaliyaay dialect of the Gamilaraay language of southeastern Australia, the southern boobook is . Dutch naturalist Gerlof Mees and German evolutionary biologist Ernst Mayr regarded the taxonomy of the boobook owl complex as extremely challenging, the latter remarking in 1943 that it was "one of the most difficult problems I have ever encountered". In his 1964 review of Australian owls, Mees
Morepork single species. Examining both morphological and genetic (cytochrome "b") characters, Michael Wink and colleagues concluded that the southern boobook was distinct from the morepork, as was the Tasmanian boobook, which should be raised to species status as "Ninox leucopsis". Four subspecies of "Ninox novaeseelandiae" are recognised by the IOC, two of which are extinct: The morepork is long, with female slightly larger than the male. She is slightly heavier, too, at 170-216 g compared with the male's 140-156 g. The morepork has generally dark brown head and upperparts, with pale brown spots on head and neck and white markings on