What sort of bird is this?

Dugan came to school the other day with a bird he'd found on the road. It had been hit by a car.
But it wasn't a common bird. It was big, and speckled. We wondered what species it was.
Dugan thought it was a New Zealand native falcon. We looked at the native birds we know of and wondered if it really is a falcon.

It has beautiful patterned wings.

It has yellow feet and a hooked beak.

It has strong feet and long sharp claws.

Here is a poster of a morepork, or Ruru.
We thought the bird looked a lot like this.
Perhaps it is a Ruru?

Here is what we wrote about the bird:

Dugan found a falcon on his way to school. We got to touch it. It's claws were sharp and its beak was pointy. I wonder if it is a morepork?
Noah.

Today Dugan found a dead falcon. Ms Jones showed us. She showed the beak. When you look at the eyes they don't look alive.
Maria

It has spots all over. The beak looks really sharp.
Kaila

It's feathers were really soft. We saw its sharp claws and it has a sharp beak. It feels like a teddy bear. It looks like a morepork.
Zaria

Dugan found a dead falcon. He brought it to school to show us the bird. It's feathers are soft. It's neck is broken. It's claws are sharp. It's eyes shrunk.
Jade

Today I touched a dead falcon. I have not seen or touched a dead bird before.
Deacon