Morepork
Ninox novaeseelandiae
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderStrigiformes (Owls)
- FamilyStrigidae (Typical Owls)
- GenusNinox (Boobooks and Hawk-Owls)
- SpeciesNinox novaeseelandiae (Morepork)
The morepork (Ninox novaeseelandiae), also known by its Māori name ruru, is a small brown owl found in New Zealand, the Australian islands of Norfolk Island, and formerly on Lord Howe Island. Its names (also including boobook and mopoke) are onomatopoeic, owing to the species’ distinctive calls. Three subspecies of the morepork are recognised, one of which is extinct and another that exists only as a hybrid population. First described by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in 1788, the morepork was thought to be the same species as the Australian boobook (N. boobook), native to Australia, Timor-Leste and New Guinea, something that endured for more than two hundred years, until 1999. Similarly, it was also considered the same as the Tasmanian boobook (N. leucopsis) until 2022 . The morepork has dark-brown plumage with prominent pale spots and golden-yellow eyes. Wikipedia →
20–30% of wildlife watchers report a Morepork sighting in Rakiura National Park, based on 283 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️🌙 When They're Spotted
Active throughout day and night · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rakiura National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | Arthur's Pass National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 3 | Abel Tasman National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 4 | Tongariro National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 5 | Fiordland National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 6 | Maria Island National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Freycinet National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Aoraki Mount Cook National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 10 | Wilsons Promontory National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 11 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Morepork in Rakiura National Park?
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Morepork sighting in Rakiura National Park, based on 283 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Morepork in Rakiura National Park?
April has the highest sighting rate for Morepork in Rakiura National Park in our monthly data.