Giant Owl Photographed After 150 Years Of No Sightings
For this first time in 150 years, a giant owl that had gone unseen in African rainforests has been photographed in the wild by British scientists working in Ghana.
For the first time in 150 years, a giant owl that had gone unseen in African rainforests has been photographed in the wild by British scientists working in Ghana.
Shelley's Eagle Owl was spotted on October 16. There are only a few thousand thought to be in existence, and the species is officially classified as being at risk of extinction.
The photograph was clicked by Dr Joseph Tobias, of the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial College London, and Dr Robert Williams, an ecologist from Somerset.
The duo saw the bird for around 15 seconds only and quickly managed to take some pictures. The bird has distinctive black eyes, yellow bill, and is huge in size.
First confirmed sighting of an extremely rare owl in Ghana's Atewa Forest in 150 years. Two British ecologists conducting research in the forest recently saw the Shelley's Eagle Owl (indigenous to Central & West Africa). The discovery could prompt the Atewa Forest to be protected pic.twitter.com/fQ6ININAuH
¡ª ghanaspora (@ghanaspora) October 23, 2021
¡°It was so large, at first we thought it was an eagle,¡± Dr Tobias said.
¡°Luckily it perched on a low branch and when we lifted our binoculars our jaws dropped. There is no other owl in Africa¡¯s rainforests that big.¡±
The owl was first described in 1872 after Richard Bowdler Sharpe, a curator of the bird collection at the Natural History Museum, took a specimen from a hunter in Ghana.
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Dr Nathaniel Annorbah, of the University of Environment and Sustainable Development, Ghana, said: ¡°This is a sensational discovery. We¡¯ve been searching for this mysterious bird for years in the western lowlands, so to find it here in ridgetop forests of the eastern region is a huge surprise.¡±
An environmental group named Friends of Atewa has been trying to gain the status of a national park after a series of threats of illegal logging and bauxite mining.
Dr Williams said: ¡°We hope this sighting draws attention to Atewa forest and its importance for conserving local biodiversity. Hopefully, the discovery of such a rare and magnificent owl will boost these efforts to save one of the last wild forests in Ghana.¡±
