CreatureData

Whekau

Ninox albifacies (G. R. Gray, 1844)

Status not recordedowlsExtinct

The whekau (Ninox albifacies) is a species in the family Strigidae, order Strigiformes. Recorded adults weigh about 600 g. Source checklists list it for 1 country: Australia.

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Quick facts about the whekau

Weight
600 g
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Young per litter or clutch
Not recorded
Conservation status
Not recorded
Countries on record
1 countrysrc for Countries on record

Where does the whekau live?

Countries where Catalogue of Life checklists list the species. Many checklists carry no country data, so the list is often incomplete. It is not a range map.

The whekau is listed for 1 country.

Australia
  • Listed
  • Not listed
small islands are not drawn at this scale

The same countries as a list

  1. Australia

Is the whekau endangered?

No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.

How is the whekau classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderStrigiformes
  5. familyStrigidae
  6. genusNinox
  7. SpeciesNinox albifacies (G. R. Gray, 1844)

Synonyms Athene albifacies, Sceloglaux albifaces, Sceloglaux albifacies

Other names and names in other languages (34)
  • Laughing owlEnglish
  • nínox riallerCatalan
  • sovka bělolícíCzech
  • tylluan wynebwenWelsh
  • LatterugleDanish
  • LachkauzGerman
  • rida nizostrigoEsperanto
  • Nínox reidorSpanish
  • naerukakkEstonian
  • kirkupöllöFinnish
  • Ninoxe rieuseFrench
  • novozelandska sovaCroatian
  • kacagóbagolyHungarian
  • Gufastore sghignazzanteItalian
  • ワライフクロウJapanese
  • linksmoji kvatoklėLithuanian
  • HakokeMāori
  • LachuilDutch
  • sowica białolicaPolish
  • mocho-risonhoPortuguese
  • Смеющаяся соваRussian
  • sovka smejiváSlovak
  • Sova smejačicaSerbian
  • skrattugglaSwedish
  • Gülen BaykuşTurkish
  • сова новозеландськаUkrainian
  • 笑鴞Chinese
  • Lechuzón CariblancoSpanish
  • WhēkauMāori
  • coruja-galhofeiraPortuguese
  • coruja-gavião-risonhaPortuguese
  • coruja-risonhaPortuguese
  • Хохочущая соваRussian
  • 笑鸮Chinese

Catalogue of Life

Relatives of the whekau

Other species in the same genus Ninox.

LC, Least Concern
Morepork (Ninox novaeseelandiae)

Morepork

Ninox novaeseelandiae

Strigidae

CompareWhekau vs Brown boobookWhekau vs MoreporkWhekau vs Powerful owlWhekau vs Barking owl

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the whekau?

An adult whekau weighs 600 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Where does the whekau live?

Catalogue of Life checklists list the whekau for 1 country: Australia. Checklist coverage is uneven, so the true range may be wider.

What kind of animal is the whekau?

The whekau (Ninox albifacies) belongs to the family Strigidae in the order Strigiformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Whekau (Ninox albifacies). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/whekau

MLA

“Whekau (Ninox albifacies).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/whekau.

BibTeX
@misc{whekau_2026,
  title = {Whekau (Ninox albifacies)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/whekau},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}