Rare owl species last seen in 1892 photographed for first time

The rediscovery of the Bornean rajah scops owl comes amid mounting pressure from the climate crisis, deforestation and agriculture, making such finds all the more remarkable, writes Harry Cockburn

The first photograph of the Bornean Rajah scops owl in the wild (Andy Boyce)

A species of owl not seen for 125 years has been rediscovered and photographed in mountainous forests in the north of the island of Borneo, in the Malaysian state of Sabah.

The Bornean subspecies of rajah scops owl (Otus brookii brookii) was found and photographed by Smithsonian Migratory Bird Centre ecologist Andy Boyce, and it is now believed it may be its own unique species.

The photograph of the “mythical bird”, is the first time it has been documented in the wild since 1892.

Dr Boyce photographed the bird in May 2016, after a tip off from technician Keegan Tranquillo, who was working with the team across various plots during a 10-year study into bird evolution.

He had seen a scops owl which was slightly larger and with different plumage than the more common mountain scops owl.

“It was a pretty rapid progression of emotions when I first saw the owl,” said Dr Boyce, who was then a doctoral student at the University of Montana.

“Absolute shock and excitement that we’d found this mythical bird, then pure anxiety that I had to document it as fast as I could.”

“Based on size, eye colour and habitat, I knew it was the Bornean rajah scops owl,” he said.

“What’s more, taking into account this bird’s specific plumage … [it] is likely its own unique species and further study is needed.”

Scops owls weigh approximately 100 grams, roughly equivalent to four AA batteries, the researchers said.

Both subspecies of rajah scops owl are native to southeast Asia - Otus brookii brookii on the island of Borneo and Otus brookii solokensis on Sumatra.

Small owls in the genus Otus often show rapid divergence following isolation in this region, the researchers said, and the Indonesian archipelago is composed of islands known to facilitate species divergence, with Borneo and Sumatra particularly prone to speciation events - in which populations evolve into separate species.

"Unfortunately, we are only good at conserving what we know and what we name," Dr Boyce said.

“If this rare bird is endemic only to Borneo and is its own species, conservation action is more likely. Our sole sighting during this intensive study confirms this owl lives in mature montane forests, likely above or below the survey area.

“Those elevations are already threatened by habitat loss due to climate change, deforestation and palm oil development. To protect this bird, we need a firm understanding of its habitat and ecology.”

The research team said properly understanding the ecology, distribution and taxonomic standing of O b brookii could have important conservation implications, and recommended nocturnal surveys to study habitats, record vocalisations and collect blood or feather samples.

The research is published in The Wilson Journal of Ornithology.