Principe scops owl

species of scops owl

The Príncipe scops owl (Otus bikegila) is a bird that lives on an island called Príncipe in São Tomé and Príncipe.[1][2]

Principe scops owl
Principe island map
Map of the Principe island
Critically Endangered (Researchers' recommendation)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Strigiformes
Family: Strigidae
Genus: Otus
Species:
O. bikegila
Binomial name
Otus bikegila
Melo et al., 2022

Home change

The owl lives in old-growth forests. There is about 15 square kilometers of old growth forest left on Principe, and about 1000-1500 Principe scops owls live there. Its call sounds like "tuu." They start calling as soon as the sun goes down.[1]

Discovery change

Scientists thought this bird was there since 1928. They became pretty sure it was there in 1997. In July 2016, someone took a photograph of an unknown Otus owl on Príncipe. The image was published on Ornithomedia.[3] People had heard Otus owls calling there since the early 1900s, but no one had been sure. In 2022, scientists caught a few owls and wrote the first formal paper describing it. They named it Otus bikegila.[4] In 2022, scientists wrote the first paper saying exactly what it looked like.[1]

Name change

Scientists named this bird after a park ranger named Ceciliano do Bom Jesus. "Bikegila" is his nickname.[1]

Threats change

The scientists who wrote about the bird asked the IUCN to name it critically endangered because its home is so small and because human beings want to make a hydroelectric dam in part of the forest where it lives. As of 2022, the IUCN has not made a report on this bird yet.[1]

References change

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Pensoft Publishers (October 31, 2022). "New species of owl discovered in the rainforests of Príncipe Island, Central Africa" (Press release). Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  2. Melo M; Freitas B; Verbelen P; da Costa SR; Pereira H, Fuchs J; Sangster G; Correia MN; de Lima RF; Crottini A (2022). "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". ZooKeys (Full text) (1126): 1–54. doi:10.3897/zookeys.1126.87635. PMC 9836643. PMID 36763062. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  3. "An unknown bird of the island of Príncipe has been photographed" (in French). Ornithomedia. 2016. Archived from the original on 8 April 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  4. Melo, Martim; Freitas, Bárbara; Verbelen, Philippe; Da Costa, Sátiro R.; Pereira, Hugo; Fuchs, Jérôme; Sangster, George; Correia, Marco N.; DeLima, Ricardo F.; Crottini, Angelica (2022). "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". ZooKeys (1126): 1–54. doi:10.3897/zookeys.1126.87635. PMC 9836643. PMID 36763062.