An owl not seen in over a century makes a brief return — then vanishes again
by Romina Castagnino on 13 May 2021
Researchers have confirmed the first sighting of a rare owl last seen in Borneo nearly 130 years ago.
The rediscovery of the Bornean Rajah scops-owl (Otus brookii brookii) came during a chance encounter on May 4, 2016, seven years into a long-term research project on Mount Kinabalu in Malaysia.
The researchers say the history of speciation in the region could justify naming the Bornean Rajah scops-owl as its own species, distinct from the Sumatran subspecies, O. b. solokensis.
The Bornean bird is under pressure from deforestation and climate change, which threaten to shrink its habitat and drive it further upslope.