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Giant Owl Unseen For 150 Years Spotted For The First Time

Giant Owl Unseen For 150 Years Spotted For The First Time

Ecologists have marked it a "sensational discovery."

Laura Sanders

Laura Sanders

A giant owl, which hasn't been seen in the wild for 150 years, has been spotted by two British scientists in the African rainforest.

The last confirmed sighting of the Shelley's Eagle-Owl, which is native to Central and Western Africa, was in the 1870's. The giant owl is officially classified as at risk of extinction, with only a few thousand of them believed to exist in the wild.

On 16th October, Dr Joseph Tobias from Imperial College London's Department of Life Sciences and Dr Robert Williams, an ecologist from Somerset, were working in the Atewa Forest in Ghana when they stumbled across the magnificent creature.

"When we lifted our binoculars our jaws dropped," said Dr Joseph Tobias. "There is no other owl in Africa's rainforests that big."

The pair only saw the bird perched for 10-15 seconds, but in that time managed to take photographs that confirm the identification of the Shelley's Eagle-Owl due to its distinctive black eyes, yellow bill, and large size, which together rule out all other African forest owls.

"This is a sensational discovery. We've been searching for this mysterious bird for years in the western lowlands, so to find it here in ridgetop forests of Eastern Region is a huge surprise," said Dr Nathaniel Annorbah of University of Environment and Sustainable Development, Ghana.

This "sensational discovery" gives hope for boosting conservation efforts on the Atewa site, which is under threat by illegal logging, hunting and bauxite mining.

"Hopefully, the discovery of such a rare and magnificent owl will boost these efforts to save one of the last wild forests in Ghana," said Dr Robert Williams.

Environmental campaign groups such as Friends of Atewa, are lobbying for the area to be designated as a national park, which would offer it protection.

"We hope this sighting draws attention to Atewa forest and its importance for conserving local biodiversity," added Dr Williams. "Hopefully, the discovery of such a rare and magnificent owl will boost these efforts to save one of the last wild forests in Ghana."

Shelley's Eagle-Owl size: How big can they grow?

The Shelley's Eagle-Owl can grow to an average height of between 53-61cm and a weight of 1.2kg. Their wings can span 40-50cm.

Featured Image Credit: Dr Robert Williams

Topics: Environment, Africa, no article matching, Wildlife