New species of owl

Forest and Bird, Issue 266, 1 November 1992, Page 8

New species of owl

A NEW SPECIES of Scops owl has been discovered on the island of Anjouan in the Comoros, a group of four islands between Africa and Madagascar. The discovery was the culmination of a search, initiated by a mystery call, that involved ornithologist Roger Saftord, supported by ICBP, in three visits to the island over two years. Safford traced the call to a Scops owl. The call and close examination of the individuals confirm that it is a species quite

distinct from the more widelydistributed Madagascan Scops owl. The Anjouan Scops Owl is about 25 cm long, mainly cork brown in colour, and has both a whistle and a screech call, the whistle being completely unlike any other Scops Owl species. It lives in primary forest above 800 metres, nesting in large tree cavities, and is thought to be insectivorous. The people and wildlife on Anjouan are facing a crisis. Both depend on the forest; human population density is very high, and the extent of primary forest is declining extremely fast (from 8,260 ha in 1972 to 1,109 ha in 1987). Although a thorough population estimate of the owl was not made, it is thought that there are probably not more than 100 pairs left. Other species dependant on Anjouan’s dwindling forest are the mongoose lemur, one of the most endangered lemurs in the world, and Livingstone fruit bat, one of the world’s most endangered, and largest, bats. Conservation action is urgently needed.

Source: International Council for Bird Preservation

Forest and Bird is a member of the International Council for Bird Preservation and is the ICBP’s delegate in the South Pacific.