10 Nov 2023

Critter of the Week: wheku, laughing owl, hakoke or korehengi

From Afternoons, 3:31 pm on 10 November 2023

The whēkau (also known as the laughing owl, hakoke, or korehengi) is one of only two species of owls native to Aotearoa. It’s thought to have gone extinct sometime in the early twentieth century as stoats and rats spread throughout mainland Aotearoa.

Laughing Owl

Laughing Owl Photo: supplied