Editing Laughing owl (section)

== Description ==
[[File:Naturalis Biodiversity Center - ZMA.AVES.1492 - Sceloglaux albifacies Gray, G.R., 1844 - Strigidae - skin specimen.jpeg|upright|thumb|Male laughing owl mount from the collection of Naturalis Biodiversity Centre]]
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 grey with brown stripes towards the centre. Some birds were more rufous, with a brown facial disk; this was at first attributed to subspecific differences, but is probably better related to individual variation. Males were thought to be more often of the richly coloured morph (e.g. the [[Linz]] specimen [[Oberösterreichisches Landesmuseum|OÖLM]] 1941/433). The eyes were very dark orange. Its length was {{cvt|35.5|–|40|cm|in}} and wing length {{cvt|26.4|cm|in}}, with males being smaller than females. Weight was around 600&nbsp;g.

===Vocalisations===
The call of the laughing owl has been described as "a loud cry made up of a series of dismal shrieks frequently repeated". The species was given its name because of this sound. Other descriptions of the call were: "A peculiar barking noise ... just like the barking of a young [[dog]]"; "Precisely the same as two men 'cooeying' to each other from a distance"; "A melancholy hooting note", or a high-pitched chattering, only heard when the birds were on the wing and generally on dark and drizzly nights or immediately preceding rain. Various whistling, chuckling and mewing notes were observed from a captive bird.

One correspondent claimed that laughing owls would be attracted by [[accordion]] play.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Buller |first=Walter Lawry |url=https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q124234076 |title=Supplement to the 'Birds of New Zealand' |date=1905-01-01 |volume=2 |lang=en}}</ref>