Laughing Owl / Sceloglaux albifacies
WBN 
Laughing Owl
SCI Name:
Protonym: Athene albifacies Voy.ErebusTerror 1 Birds p.2 pl.1
Taxonomy: Strigiformes / Strigidae / Sceloglaux
Taxonomy Code: lauowl1
Type Locality: Waikouaiti, South Island, New Zealand.
Author: Gray, GR
Publish Year: 1844
IUCN Status: Extinct
DEFINITIONS
SCELOGLAUX
‡ (Strigidae; Ϯ Laughing Owl S. albifacies) Gr. σκελος skelos leg; γλαυξ glaux, γλαυκος glaukos owl; "III. Gen. Ninox, Hodgs. (1837.) ... c) Subg. Sceloglaux, Kp. 2) N. albifacies, Gray. Er. et Ter. B. p. 2. pl. 1. N. Seeland." (Kaup 1848); "Subgenus Sceloglaux. ... Mittelzehe ohne Nagel nicht halb so lang als die hohe Fusswurzel. Aeussere Zehe halb so lang als die mittlere. Zehen mit sehr langen Borsten. Gefieder weich wie bei Otus. Lebensart leider nicht bekannt. Ist sicher eine Erdläuferin. 5. Jeraglaux albifacies. Athene, G. Gray. Voy. Er. et Terr. pl. 1." (Kaup 1851); "Sceloglaux Kaup, Isis von Oken, 1848, col. 768. Type, by monotypy, Athene albifacies G. R. Gray." (Peters 1940, IV, 146). The Laughing Owl had long, feathered legs and toes, and preyed on birds and rats.
albifacies
L. albus white; facies countenance, appearance.
UPPERCASE: current genus
Uppercase first letter: generic synonym
● and ● See: generic homonyms
lowercase: species and subspecies
●: early names, variants, mispellings
‡: extinct
†: type species
Gr.: ancient Greek
L.: Latin
<: derived from
syn: synonym of
/: separates historical and modern geographic names
ex: based on
TL: type locality
OD: original diagnosis (genus) or original description (species)
