This is the first photo ever captured of a Bornean Rajah scops-owl (Otus brookii brookii), which hasn’t been seen in over 125 years.
The owl was last recorded in 1892 and disappeared until 2016 when a research team stumbled upon it and snapped a few photos. Their find was confirmed by a study published in The Wilson Journal of Ornithology in April 2021. The encounter lasted two hours, and the subspecies of owl hasn’t been seen since.
Known for its bright orange eyes and ear tufts, this owl is found in the Bornean forest in Sabah, Malaysia. Researchers think it could be so rare because of its low population density, but the lack of knowledge surrounding the bird’s habitat and call also makes it very difficult to find. While similar to the Sumatran subspecies (Otus brookii solokensis) living an island over, scientists believe that this owl could be a separate species altogether.
A rare tropical owl has been spotted for the first time since it was discovered nearly 125 years ago.
The orange-eyed Bornean subspecies of Rajah scops owl was photographed in the forests of Mount Kinabalu in Malaysia.
Based on its unique patterns and habitat, researchers believe it is actually a new species in need of conservation.
While little is known about the bird, the mature mountainous forest it calls home are threatened by habitat loss due to deforestation, climate change and palm oil production.
Technician Keegan Tranquillo spied the owl while nest-searching in May 2016 as part of an extensive study of avian evolution among the forests of Mount Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia.
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.
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IMAGE: The first photograph of the Bornean Rajah scops owl in the wild. Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center ecologist Andy Boyce reported the rediscovery and photographed this elusive subspecies in the mountainous. view more
Credit: Andy Boyce
The Bornean subspecies of Rajah scops owl (
Otus brookii brookii), documented in the wild for the first time since 1892, may be its own unique species and deserving of a conservation designation. Published April 28 in
The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center ecologist Andy Boyce reported the rediscovery and photographed this elusive subspecies in the mountainous forests of Mount Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia.