(ORDO NEWS) — More recently, a new species of owl has been described from the island of Principe, which is part of the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe in Central Africa.
Scientists report that for the first time they were able to confirm that these owls are a separate species, although suspicions about this appearance appeared as early as 1998.
In addition, evidence from local residents suggesting the existence of birds could be traced back to 1928.
A new species of owl has been described in the journal ZooKeys based on a wealth of evidence such as morphology, plumage color and pattern, vocalization and genetics.
The data was collected and processed by an international team of scientists led by Martim Melo from the Museum of Natural History and Science of the University of Porto.
The bird is now officially known as Principe Scops-Owl or Otus bikegila. The specific epithet “bikegila” was chosen in honor of Ceciliano do Bom Jesus, nicknamed Bikegila, a former parrot collector from the island of Principe and now a ranger of its natural park.
—
Online:
Contact us: [email protected]
Our Standards, Terms of Use: Standard Terms And Conditions.