In the midst of the dense Malaysian humid jungle, An Asian orange-eyed owl has been observed for the first time in more than a century. The species has remained hidden among the immensity of the habitat that jealously guards the bird with mysterious eyes, but thanks to a serendipity we now know that it is not extinct.
The species of owl whose scientific name is Otus brookii brookii, was last seen in situ more than a century ago. Dating back to 1869, it was the last time this subspecies of barn owl was observed on the Malaysian islands. Without knowledge of the state of the species, specialists considered it off the map, since its song was not heard for more than a hundred years.
However, this changed thanks to Andy Boyce, who is an ecologist with the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. Boyce managed to capture images of the Asian orange-eyed owl on Sabah Island, Malaysia. Since 2016, the ecologist has been dedicated to research in natural regions in this part of the world, but after six years of studying the region, an unexpected warning led to the sighting of the bird.
A timely warning from the orange-eyed owl
The ecologist acknowledges that he was not exactly looking for the Asian owl species during his stay in Malaysia. But this changed when received the notice from a colleague of his, who suggested the possibility of having sighted the orange-eyed owl in the jungle of Malaysia. Then Boyce set out on the adventure to meet the bird.
Andy Boyce
“If we don’t document it right then and there, this bird could be gone again for who knows how long,” Boyce explains. “It was a really fast progression of emotion. He was very nervous. As he tried to get there, he hoped the bird was still there. I felt great emotion and a bit of disbelief when I first saw it and realized what it was.»
Not that the Asian orange-eyed owl was considered extinct properly. However, the low population density of the species, coupled with the difficulty of the terrain for its scientific investigation, have hampered its investigation. For more than a century his singing and bright orange eyes disappeared from the sight of humans. and therefore, knowledge about its status remains a mystery. But at least now thanks to Boyce and his colleague’s tip, we know the bird isn’t extinct. Without a doubt, a fact that must be celebrated considering the large number of species that have perished on Earth.
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