The Seychelles scops owl (''Otus insularis''), also known as bare-legged scops owl or syer (in Creole) is a rare
scops owl species, which only occurs in the
Morne Seychellois National Park on the
Seychelles island of
Mahé.
Description
It reaches a length of 19 to 21 cm. The wings are each about 17 cm long. Its plumage is rufous brown and exhibits black shaft streaks. The underparts and the facial disc are rufous. The long grey legs are unfeathered. The eyes are large and golden yellow. The ear-tufts are very small. Its call, which sounds like a rasping "whaugh" with various "tok tok" notes, can be heard from a far distance and in particular in the darkness. Its diet consists of geckos, tree frogs and insects (e.g. locusts).
Status
The
range of this bird when first described in 1880 were the
Seychelles islands of
Praslin,
Mahé, and
Silhouette Island. Due to the clearing of the
mountainous cloud forest
A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF), is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud c ...
s and introduced alien animals, like rats, cats, and barn owls the population had dropped so drastically that it was thought to be extinct by 1906. In 1959 it was rediscovered by French naturalist Phillippe Loustau-Lalanne in a mountainous cloud forest at an altitude of
a.s.l.
American Sign Language (ASL) is a natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of Deaf communities in the United States of America and most of Anglophone Canada. ASL is a complete and organized visual language that is express ...
on the island of Mahé.
In 1999 the first nest was discovered but there was no breeding success. In 2000 the first
infrared photograph was shot of a female with her juvenile. Due to the lack of information about the population this species was long regarded as
critically endangered by the
IUCN
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...
. Due to the discovery of further populations, it was noted by 2002 that the population was stable at about 318 individuals. The population is likely declining and by 2020 it was estimated at 200-280 individuals.
References
External links
BirdLife Species Factsheet.Sexual size dimorphism in the critically endangered Seychelles Scops Owl Otus insularis
SPECIES CONSERVATION ASSESSMENT & ACTION PLAN
{{Taxonbar, from=Q258271
Birds of Seychelles
Birds described in 1880
Otus (bird)
Endemic fauna of Seychelles