Laughing owl genus "Sceloglaux" as previously thought, but instead belong to the genus "Ninox". The analysis indicated that the laughing owl may be a sister taxon to the "Ninox" clade containing the barking owl, Sumba boobook, and morepork, the latter of which shared New Zealand with the laughing owl. The laughing owl's plumage was yellowish-brown striped with dark brown. White straps were on the scapulars, and occasionally the hind neck. Mantle feathers were edged with white. The wings and tail had light-brown bars. The tarsus had yellowish to reddish-buff feathers. The facial disc was white behind and below the eyes, fading to
Norfolk boobook km²) Mt Pitt section of the Norfolk Island National Park. Boobooks breed in tree hollows. Recorded clutch sizes from Norfolk Island range from one to three eggs, with two being usual. Boobooks feed on small vertebrates, especially birds and mammals, as well as invertebrates. The population of the Norfolk boobook declined with the clearance and modification of its forest habitat, especially the felling of large trees with suitable hollows for nesting in. There was also competition for nest hollows with feral honey bees and introduced crimson rosellas. By 1986 the population had been reduced to a single female bird, named