New, undescribed species of Scops owl documented on Príncipe island

by Mike Gaworecki on 5 August 2016

Belgian ornithologist Philippe Verbelen led an expedition in the forests of Príncipe in search of the undiscovered owl, which had long been rumored to exist.
Two researchers, Martim Melo and Martin Dallimer, recorded the calls of what they believed was probably a Scops owl on the island in 2009.
Several unsuccessful attempts to find the species have previously been made, but Verbelen and his team have now proved Melo and Dallimer correct.

A new species of Scops owl yet to be described to science has been documented on Príncipe, one of the two major islands that make up the country of São Tomé and Príncipe in the Gulf of Guinea off the western coast of Central Africa.

Belgian ornithologist Philippe Verbelen led an expedition in the forests of Príncipe in search of the undiscovered owl, which had long been rumored to exist. Two researchers, Martim Melo and Martin Dallimer, recorded the calls of what they believed was probably a Scops owl on the island in 2009. Though it had the same frequency as the calls of other Scops owls, however, it was distinct from any known species.

Melo and Dallimer also collected anecdotal evidence from parrot harvesters who reported seeing “owl-like” birds in tree holes. “Available evidence suggests the existence of a new Otus species endemic to Príncipe,” the researchers concluded.

Several unsuccessful attempts to find the species have previously been made, but Verbelen and his team have now proved Melo and Dallimer correct.

Verbelen searched the forest where Melo and Dallimer captured the bird’s call and was eventually able to obtain his own recordings, which he then used to lure the Scops owls to within three meters of himself and his camera. Verbelen saw at least two different individuals and photographed both.

These photographs are, essentially, the first confirmation of the presence of a previously undiscovered Scops owl on Príncipe. Verbelen said that the bird’s calls were heard at various locations around the island, suggesting that the owl is not uncommon in undisturbed forests. And the difference in its vocalizations compared with those of the São Tomé Scops owl (Otus hartlaubi) provided further evidence that it could indeed be a heretofore undescribed species.

There are close to 50 known species of Scops owls in the world. More research will be required to fully document and describe the new species, but Verbelen said it appears to be a unique new addition to the Otus genus. “This owl is exceedingly different to species known up to now,” he said, according to The Brussels Times.