Principe scops owl explained

The Principe scops owl (Otus bikegila) is a species of scops owl found only on Príncipe Island of São Tomé and Príncipe, an island country in the Gulf of Guinea off the coast of Africa. First noticed by its distinctive nighttime call, it was formally described in 2022.[1] [2] The first records of suspicions of its existence are from 1928.[3] Given its low population numbers and tiny range, researchers have asked the IUCN to declare it Critically Endangered.[4] Its distribution is limited to native forests where human activity is low[5] —in fact, its range is entirely within a protected area, the Príncipe Obô Natural Park—and it seems to prefer larger trees. It feeds on insects. Its predators include the Mona monkey and the black rat.

Call

The bird's call has been described as "tuu," repeated quickly, sometimes in duets. The birds begin to call almost as soon as it gets dark.[6] Another of its calls is "cat-like" and can exist either in isolation or repetition. Duets are common; females call at a higher pitch.

Etymology

The owl's Latin name was given in honor of park ranger and former parrot harvester Ceciliano "Bikegila" do Bom Jesus.

Notes and References

  1. A new species of scops-owl (Aves, Strigiformes, Strigidae, Otus) from Príncipe Island (Gulf of Guinea, Africa) and novel insights into the systematic affinities within Otus . 2022 . Melo . Martim . Freitas . Bárbara . Verbelen . Philippe . Da Costa . Sátiro R. . Pereira . Hugo . Fuchs . Jérôme . Sangster . George . Correia . Marco N. . De Lima . Ricardo F. . Crottini . Angelica . ZooKeys . 1126 . 1–54 . 10.3897/zookeys.1126.87635 . free. 10451/55748 . free .
  2. News: Bittel . Jason . 31 October 2022 . New owl species found—and it has a haunting screech . https://web.archive.org/web/20221101030511/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/a-new-species-of-owl-has-been-discovered . dead . November 1, 2022 . National Geographic . 1 November 2022.
  3. Web site: Freitas . Bárbara . Bas . Yves . Robert . Aloïs . Doutrelant . Claire . Melo . Martim . 2022-10-31 . Passive Acoustic Monitoring in difficult terrains: the case of the Principe Scops-Owl . 2023-10-16 . 10.31219/osf.io/mfubj .
  4. The recently discovered Principe Scops-owl is highly threatened: Distribution, habitat associations, and population estimates . 2022 . Freitas . Bárbara . Melo . Martim . Do Bom Jesus . Ceciliano . Da Costa . Sátiro R. . Dos Santos . Yodiney . Crottini . Angelica . De Lima . Ricardo Faustino . Bird Conservation International . 33 . 1–10 . 10.1017/S0959270922000429. 253249196 . 10451/58100 . free .
  5. Freitas . Bárbara . Melo . Martim . do Bom Jesus . Ceciliano . da Costa . Sátiro R. . dos Santos . Yodiney . Crottini . Angelica . de Lima . Ricardo Faustino . 2022-10-31 . The recently discovered Principe Scops-owl is highly threatened: distribution, habitat associations, and population estimates . Bird Conservation International . 33 . 10.1017/s0959270922000429 . 0959-2709. free . 10451/58100 . free .
  6. New species of owl discovered in the rainforests of Príncipe Island, Central Africa . Pensoft Publishers . October 31, 2022 . November 1, 2022.

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