Seychelles Scops Owl
Encyclopedia
The Seychelles Scops Owl (Otus insularis), also known as Bare-legged Scops Owl or Syer (in Creole) is a rare scops owl
species, which only occurs in the Morne Seychellois National Park on the Seychelles
island of Mahé
.
islands of Praslin
, Mahé
, and Silhouette Island
. Due to the clearing of the mountainous cloud forest
s and introduced alien animals, like rats, cats, and barn owls the population had dropped so drastically that it was thought to be extinct by 1906. In 1959 it was rediscovered by French naturalist Phillipe Loustau-Lalanne in a mountainous cloud forest in 200 m asl on Mahé. In 1999 the first nest was discovered but there was no breeding success. In 2000 the first infrared
photograph was shot from a female with her juvenile. Due to the lack of information about the population this species was long regarded as critically endangered
by the IUCN. Due to the discovery of further populations it was noticed by 2002 that the population was stable at about 318 individuals. Today the range consists of 159 territories which cover an area of 33 km². Thanks to the new knowledge and the conservation efforts on Mahé this species was downlisted to endangered
in 2004.
Scops owl
Scops owls are Strigidae belong to the genus Otus. Approximately 45 living species are known, but new ones are frequently recognized and unknown ones are still being discovered every few years or so, especially in Indonesia...
species, which only occurs in the Morne Seychellois National Park on the Seychelles
Seychelles
Seychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles , is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar....
island of Mahé
Mahé, Seychelles
Mahé is the largest island of the Seychelles, lying in the north east of the nation. The population of Mahé is 80,000. It contains the capital city of Victoria and accommodates 90% of the country's total population...
.
Description
It reaches a length between 19 and 22 cm. The wings are about 17 cm. Its plumage is rufous brown and exhibits black shaft streaks. The underparts and the facial disc are rufous. The long grey legs are unfeathered. The eyes are large and golden yellow. The ear tufts are very small. Its call which sounds like a rasping "whaugh" with various "tok tok" notes can be heard from a far distance and in particular in the darkness. Its diet consists of geckos, tree frogs and insects (e.g. locusts).Status
The former range of this bird which was first described in 1880 were the SeychellesSeychelles
Seychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles , is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar....
islands of Praslin
Praslin
Praslin is the second largest island of the Seychelles, lying 44 km north east of Mahé. Praslin has a population of around 6,500 people and comprises two administrative districts; Baie Sainte Anne and Grand' Anse . The main settlements are the Baie Ste Anne, Anse Volbert and Grand' Anse.It was...
, Mahé
Mahé, Seychelles
Mahé is the largest island of the Seychelles, lying in the north east of the nation. The population of Mahé is 80,000. It contains the capital city of Victoria and accommodates 90% of the country's total population...
, and Silhouette Island
Silhouette Island
Silhouette Island lies 20 km northwest of Mahé in the Seychelles. It is the third largest island in the Seychelles. It has an area of 20 km² and has a population of 135, mostly workers on the island. The main settlement is La Passe, where there is a hotel for visitors to Silhouette...
. Due to the clearing of the mountainous cloud forest
Cloud forest
A cloud forest, also called a fog forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical evergreen montane moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud cover, usually at the canopy level. Cloud forests often exhibit an abundance of mosses covering the ground and...
s and introduced alien animals, like rats, cats, and barn owls the population had dropped so drastically that it was thought to be extinct by 1906. In 1959 it was rediscovered by French naturalist Phillipe Loustau-Lalanne in a mountainous cloud forest in 200 m asl on Mahé. In 1999 the first nest was discovered but there was no breeding success. In 2000 the first infrared
Infrared
Infrared light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measured from the nominal edge of visible red light at 0.74 micrometres , and extending conventionally to 300 µm...
photograph was shot from a female with her juvenile. Due to the lack of information about the population this species was long regarded as critically endangered
Critically endangered
Version 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...
by the IUCN. Due to the discovery of further populations it was noticed by 2002 that the population was stable at about 318 individuals. Today the range consists of 159 territories which cover an area of 33 km². Thanks to the new knowledge and the conservation efforts on Mahé this species was downlisted to endangered
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
in 2004.