The Morepork

A report By Heloise

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A Fact Everyone Knows

The Morepork is Native to

New Zealand.

The Morepork is native in other places as well as NZ, the 2 places are Australia and New Guinea. Like some Native animals Moreporks are not classified as threatened. They are commonly found in forests throughout New Zealand and on offshore islands. Moreporks are less common within the drier open regions like Otago and Canterbury.

A bit about the Morepork

Breeding• Mating usually begins

in mid august and a clutch of about 1-3 eggs laid in October, usually in a hollow tree. The female incubates her eggs alone for about 30 days. The male feeds her in this time. Chicks fledge at around 40 days.

The Morepork is usually heard rather than seen. It’s almost clear “more-pork”. The Morepork also makes a harsh screeching call that sounds like “cree-cree”.

The Morepork’s Call

Some FactsFemales are bigger than males. From head to tail the measure about 29 cm and their average weight is about 175g.They have acute hearing and are sensitive to light.Their eyes don’t move instead they can turn their head 270 degrees.

In the faint light of the moon or stars, the Moreporks large eyes help it see far better than people. The native owl can also find its way around at night by just listening, as it can hear even the softest rustle of it’s food walking around

Sight and Sound

Summary!

So if your in the bush or even in Australia or New Guinea listen out for these amazing birds and if you’re really lucky you might just see one!

So what?

These birds are so amazing and I want to be a wildlife vet so I chose the Morepork as one animal I might have to operate on when I’m older.