New species of owl discovered in Indonesia by Aussie researchers
New species of owl discovered in Indonesia by Aussie researchers
Agencies, Sydney, Australia
A new species of owl with a distinctive hoot has been discovered by two Australian scientists on the island of Sumba in the Wallacea region of Indonesia, it was reported here on Tuesday.
The Little Sumba Hawk-Owl, believed to be a threatened species, was discovered by University of Canberra researchers Jerry Olsen and Susan Trost after 20 years of speculation and rumor about the bird's existence.
Ornithologists have debated for several years the existence of a previously unknown species on the island of Sumba. Some speculated an unknown owl sighted on the island was most likely the common large Sumba Boobook Owl, or the Flores Scops Owl.
But Olsen and Trost traveled to the island chain in 2001 to find out.
"Given all the scientific conjecture which has been going on for years about the identity of this little bird, and the dangers associated with mounting an expedition to Sumba, we got a bit of a thrill out of being the ones to finally put the mystery to rest," Olsen said in a statement.
Olsen and Trost told in a report published in Emu Austral online how they visited Sumba twice last year and encountered a cool reception from suspicious locals.
"That stems from the period not too long ago when Dutch 'slave traders' raided the islands," they said.
"The locals' belief that the spirits of their ancestors live on in owls can also be problematic.
"It is still a remarkably isolated part of the world and it is highly likely that a number of new species of bird will be found in Wallacea as more researchers begin to access it."
The report described its call as "a monosyllable hoot repeated about every three seconds and quite unlike the repeated 'cluck, cluck, cluck' made by the endemic N.rudolfi (species) or the disyllabic notes made by moist Ntnox."
"The conservation status of this owl has yet to be determined but the species might be threatened."
Their findings are published in the latest edition of the journal EMU: Austral Ornithology, a publication of the government-funded Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO).