A brand new species of owl has been found within the rainforests of an island off the west coast of Africa.
The chicken was discovered on Principe Island, which is a part of the nation of Sao Tome and Principe.
It has been named as such, formally anointed because the Principe Scops-Owl – or Otus bikegila.
While native testimonies recommend it may have lived there way back to 1928, scientists weren’t in a position to verify its presence till 2016.
Principe Scops-Owl has now been pictured after an in depth survey of its homeland by researchers from the Spanish National Museum of Natural Sciences and the Natural History and Science Museum of the University of Porto.
One of the primary clues resulting in its discovery was its distinctive name.
“Otus bikegila’s unique call is a short ‘tuu’ note repeated at a fast rate of about one note per second, reminiscent of insect calls. It is often emitted in duets, almost as soon as the night has fallen,” Martim Melo defined.
Where precisely was the owl discovered?
While the whole island was searched, the owl was solely present in a forest uninhabited by people to the south.
It occupies a comparatively small space of 15km squared, about 4 instances the dimensions of New York’s Central Park.
Researchers say between 1,000 and 1,500 of the owls occupy the area.
The owl is the eighth recognized species of chicken endemic to Principe.
‘Highly threatened’
While the variety of the owls is kind of excessive relative to the dimensions of their residence, the researchers have stated they need to be categorised as critically endangered.
Their standing will likely be determined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which can place the owls on its highest risk degree crimson listing.
“The discovery of a new species that is immediately evaluated as highly threatened illustrates well the current biodiversity predicament”, the researchers say.
“On a positive note, the area of occurrence of the Principe Scops-Owl is fully included within the Principe Obo Natural Park, which will hopefully help secure its protection.”
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Source: information.sky.com”