Editing Morepork (section)

==Taxonomy==
The morepork was [[Species description|formally described]] in 1788 by the German naturalist [[Johann Friedrich Gmelin]] in his revised and expanded edition of [[Carl Linnaeus]]'s ''[[Systema Naturae]]''. He placed it with the other owls in the [[genus]] ''[[Strix (bird)|Strix]]'' and coined the [[binomial nomenclature|binomial name]] ''Strix novaeseelandiae''.<ref>{{ cite book | last=Gmelin | first=Johann Friedrich | author-link=Johann Friedrich Gmelin| year=1788 | title=Systema naturae per regna tria naturae : secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis | edition=13th | volume=1, Part 1 | language=Latin | location=Lipsiae [Leipzig] | publisher=Georg. Emanuel. Beer | page=296 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2896896 }}</ref> Gmelin based his description on the "New Zeeland owl" from [[Queen Charlotte Sound / Tōtaranui|Queen Charlotte Sound]] that had been described in 1781 by the English ornithologist [[John Latham (ornithologist)|John Latham]] in his multi-volume ''A General Synopsis of Birds''. Latham obtained his information from [[Johann Reinhold Forster]] who had accompanied [[James Cook]] on his [[Second voyage of James Cook|second voyage]] to the Pacific Ocean.<ref>{{ cite book | last=Latham | first=John | author-link=John Latham (ornithologist) | year=1781 | title=A General Synopsis of Birds | volume=1, Part 1 | publisher=Printed for Leigh and Sotheby | location=London | pages=149–150, No. 39 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/33727661 }}</ref><ref>{{ cite book | editor-last=Peters | editor-first=James Lee | editor-link=James L. Peters | year=1940 | title=Check-List of Birds of the World | volume=4 | publisher=Harvard University Press | place=Cambridge, Massachusetts  | page=140 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/14476611 }}</ref> The morepork is now one of 37 owls placed in the genus ''[[Ninox]]'' that was introduced in 1837 by English naturalist [[Brian Houghton Hodgson]].<ref>{{ cite journal | last=Hodgson  | first=Brian Houghton | year=1837 | title=Indication of a new genus belonging to the Strigine family, with description of the new species and type | journal=Madras Journal of Literature and Science | volume=5 | pages=23–25 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/46442146 }}</ref><ref name=ioc>{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela Rasmussen | date=August 2022 | title=Owls | work=IOC World Bird List Version 12.2 | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/owls/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | access-date=10 December 2022 }}</ref> "Morepork" has been designated the official name by the [[International Ornithological Committee]].<ref name=ioc/>

Three [[subspecies]] are recognised:<ref name=ioc/>
* ''N. n. novaeseelandiae'' (Gmelin, JF, 1788) – North and South Islands of New Zealand and [[Stewart Island]]
* ''N. n. undulata'' ([[John Latham (ornithologist)|Latham]], 1801) – the [[Norfolk boobook]], [[Norfolk Island]] (east of Australia)
*† ''N. n. albaria'' [[Edward Pierson Ramsay|Ramsay, EP]], 1888 – the [[Lord Howe boobook]], [[Lord Howe Island]] (east of Australia) extinct

Both [[Gerlof Fokko Mees]] and [[Ernst Mayr]] regarded the taxonomy of the boobook owl as extremely challenging,<ref name="Mees61">{{cite journal|last=Mees|first=Gerlof Fokko|date=1964|title=A revision of the Australian owls (Strigidae and Tytonidae)|journal=Zoologische Verhandelingen|volume=65|pages=3&ndash;62|url=http://dare.uva.nl/cgi/arno/show.cgi?fid=149007}}</ref> the latter remarking in 1943 that it was "one of the most difficult problems I have ever encountered".<ref name="mayr">{{cite journal|last=Mayr|first=Ernst|date=1943|title=Notes on Australian Birds (II)|journal=Emu|volume=43|issue=1|pages=3&ndash;17|doi=10.1071/MU943003|bibcode=1943EmuAO..43....3M }}</ref> In his 1968 book ''Nightwatchmen of the Bush and Plain'', Australian naturalist [[David Fleay]] observed that the boobooks from Tasmania more closely resembled those of New Zealand than those from mainland Australia, though he followed Mees in treating them as a single species.<ref name="olsen 2011">{{cite book|last=Olsen|first=Jerry|title=Australian High Country Owls|publisher=CSIRO|location=Collingwood, Victoria|date=2011|pages=15–17|chapter=What is a Southern Boobook?|isbn=9780643104112|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CDSmft_aRCMC&pg=PA15}}</ref> 
 
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 they conceded the two were easily distinguishable in appearance, so maintained the three as subspecies; the Tasmanian boobook only diverged by 2.7% from the other two, while the powerful and rufous owls diverged by 4.4% from each other.<ref>{{Cite journal | doi = 10.1016/S0006-3207(98)00012-3 | last1 = Norman | first1 = Janette | last2 = Olsen | first2 = Penny | last3 = Christidis | first3 = Les | year = 1998 | title = Molecular genetics confirms taxonomic affinities of the endangered Norfolk Island Bookbook Owl ''Ninox novaeseelandiae undulata'' | journal = Biological Conservation | volume = 86 | issue = 1| pages = 33–36 | bibcode = 1998BCons..86...33N }}</ref> Leading from this, the [[Australian boobook]] was split from the Tasmanian boobook and morepork in volume 5 of the ''[[Handbook of the Birds of the World#Volume 5: Barn-Owls to Hummingbirds|Handbook of the Birds of the World]]''; however, several authors, including [[Leslie Christidis|Les Christidis]] and Walter Boles, contested that the data had been misinterpreted from the Norman study, which had not sampled any Australian mainland boobooks at all. They treated the three taxa (southern, Tasmanian boobooks, and moreporks) as a single species.<ref>{{Cite book|first1=Les |last1=Christidis |first2=Walter |last2=Boles |author-link1=Leslie Christidis |title=Systematics and taxonomy of Australian birds |publisher=CSIRO Publishing |location=Collingwood, Victoria |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-643-06511-6|page=165|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SFP9P1i-PoEC&q=boobook}}</ref>

Examining both morphological and genetic (cytochrome ''b'') characters, Michael Wink and colleagues concluded that the Australian boobook was distinct from the morepork, as was the [[Tasmanian boobook]], which is raised to species status as ''Ninox leucopsis''.<ref>{{cite book|author=Michael Wink|author2=Petra Heidrich|author3=Hedi Sauer-Gürth|author4=Abdel-Aziz Elsayed|author5=Javier Gonzalez|name-list-style=amp|title=Owls of the World|editor1=König, Claus |editor2=Weick, Friedhelm |publisher=A&C Black|date=2008|edition=2nd|pages=42–63|chapter= Molecular phylogeny and systematics of owls (Strigiformes)|isbn=9781408108840}}</ref> In 2022, the [[International Ornithologists' Union|International Ornithological Congress]] reclassified the Tasmanian boobook and morepork as distinct species.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Gwee |first1=Chyi Yin |last2=Christidis |first2=Les |last3=Eaton |first3=James A. |last4=Norman |first4=Janette A. |last5=Trainor |first5=Colin R. |last6=Verbelen |first6=Philippe |last7=Rheindt |first7=Frank E. |date=2017 |title=Bioacoustic and multi-locus DNA data of Ninox owls support high incidence of extinction and recolonisation on small, low-lying islands across Wallacea |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2016.12.024 |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |volume=109 |pages=246–258 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2016.12.024 |pmid=28017857 |issn=1055-7903|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Owls – IOC World Bird List |url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/new/bow/owls/ |access-date=2022-08-24 |language=en-US}}</ref>