Morepork though he followed Mees in treating them as a single species. 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. 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. 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
Australasian bittern species is listed as endangered. BirdLife International has identified the following sites, all of which are in Australia, as being important for Australasian bittern conservation: Australasian bittern The Australasian bittern ("Botaurus poiciloptilus"), also known as the brown bittern or matuku hūrepo, is a large bird in the heron family Ardeidae. A secretive bird with a distinctive booming call, it is more often heard than seen. Australasian bitterns are endangered in both Australia and New Zealand. The length is from 650 to 750 mm with adults being similar between the sexes while the male is significantly larger. The bird has a