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
Australasian swamphen Australasian swamphen The Australasian swamphen ("Porphyrio melanotus") is a species of swamphen occurring in eastern Indonesia, the Moluccas, Aru and Kai Islands, as well as in Papua New Guinea and Australia. It is also found in New Zealand, where it is known as the pukeko, a term derived from the Māori language. The Australasian swamphen used to be considered a subspecies of the purple swamphen. The Australasian swamphen is found in mainland Australia, eastern Indonesia, the Moluccas, Aru and Kai Islands, and in Papua New Guinea. They are also found on New Zealand's main islands and in the Chatham and