Order STRIGIFORMES. 
No. 15. 
Family STR1GIDM. 
SPILOGLAUX NOVA3SEELANDI/E. 
(alb aria). 
LORD HOWE ISLAND OWL. 
(Plate 13.) 
Spiloglaux Kaup, Isis, Oct. 1848, heft 10, col. 768. Type (by subsequent designation, Gray, 
1855, p. 8): Strix boobook Latham. 
Stbix novieseelandle Gmelin, Syst. Nat., Vol. I., pt.l, p. 296, July 25th, 1788 : Queen Charlotte’s 
Sound, South Island, New Zealand. 
Ninox albaria Ramsay, Tab. List Birds Austr., p. 37, 1888 (before Dec.) : Lord Howe Island ; id., 
Cat. Austr. Birds, Striges, p. 25, 1890 ; 2nd edn., p. 29, 1898 ; Mathews, Handl. Birds 
Austr., p. 43, Jan. 1908. 
Ninox boobook albaria Mathews, Nov. Zool., Vol. XVIII., p. 447, Jan. 1912. 
Spiloglaux boobook albaria Mathews, List Birds Austr., p. 320, Dec. 1913. 
Spiloglaux novceseelandice albaria Mathews, Birds Austr., Vol. V., pt. iii., p. 332, May 23rd, 1916 ; 
id., Syst. Av. Australas., p. 272, 1927. 
Distribution. Lord Howe Island. 
Adult female. General colour above dull reddish earth-brown, faintly powdered with grey ; 
lower back, rump, upper tail-coverts, lesser, median and greater wing-coverts dull reddish- 
chestnut, each feather with large twin spots or bars of white ; primary quills hair-brown, 
each feather with wide equidistant bars of greyish-buff on the inner web and bright buff 
on the outer webs ; tail-feathers hair-brown, with indistinct bars of brownish-buff ; crown 
of head, occiput, nape, hind-neck, fore-head, lores and a narrow eyebrow, white ; sides 
of the face, cheeks, chin and upper throat white; lower throat pale buff ; fore-neck, 
chest, breast, abdomen, sides of the body and flanks rich reddish-brown, each feather with 
a twin spot of white near the tip and basally barred with white ; thighs rich buff ; under 
tail-coverts white, tipped with buff and with a large spot of white towards the extremity ; 
under wing-coverts similar to the breast; axillaries white, barred with reddish-brown ; 
quills below hair-brown, barred with creamy-white. Bill blue-black and green, eyes 
bright yellow, feet greenish-yellow. Total length 355 mm. : culmen 24, wing 216, tail 134, 
tqrsus 35. Figured. Collected on Lord Howe Island, 
Adult male. Similar to the above. Total length 345 mm.: culmen 22, wing 214, tail 133, 
tarsus 38. Collected at the Pines, Lord Howe Island, on the 13th of October, 1913. 
Immature. Birds seem more spotted on the back. 
Nest. A hole in a tree. 
Eggs. Clutch probably similar to its allies. 
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