Superbowl

From Rick and Nora Bowers

Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona, USA

From Owl Rescue Centre

Jun 18, 2019

Seems someone has an owldentity crisis. This Barn Owl moved into our White Faced Owl hack(release enclosure) which we opened a few days ago, the owls can now move in and out freely.

Wouldn't say this is 100% normal but my guess is that the Barney would like to claim this his home and all other occupants need to move out pronto.

We caught him and relocated him to an empty owl house in order for the original owners to have a stress free introduction back to the wild. 😉

Earlier this week, I highlighted the Congo Bay Owl. I was initially shocked to find a bay owl in Africa, when all the ones I knew were only in Asia. I investigated further and found this amazing article.

This secretive little owl hasn't had a confirmed sighting in almost 30 years, but even in its absence, we have still continued learning about this owl and its relationship (or lack thereof!) to the Asiatic bay owl species.

This is a long read, but I found it riveting in its general owl discussions, the stories of discovery, and the dive into the genetics, taxonomy and conservation of this beautiful hidden creature.

Owls have such a mystique unlike almost any other, and this article highlights a great number of ways they continue to captivate us.

From Mongabay

• The last sighting by scientists of the Itombwe owl, a species endemic to the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, was in 1996.

• This was in Itombwe Nature Reserve, a protected area described by its director as "forgotten by a majority of organizations and people who support the conservation of biodiversity."

• Being overlooked may have helped keep the reserve protected, with the forest remaining intact and satellite imagery showing no roads being carved inside it.

• Experts agree on the need for further expeditions to study the Itombwe owl, including settling the long-running debate over which genus of barn owl, Tyto or Phodilus, it belongs to.

A lost bird

Everything we know for certain about the Itombwe owl comes from just two individuals: one dead for more than 70 years, and the other also most likely dead by now. The second, a small, chestnut-colored owl, was netted by Tom Butynski’s team in 1996; a wild owl can expect to live 10 years.

Butynski tells Mongabay they held onto the bird for just about an hour, releasing it after measuring, weighing and tagging it. Little did they realize back then the significance of this fleeting encounter: It was the last confirmed sighting of the species to date.

Yet experts say they’re hopeful the Itombwe owl (scientific name Tyto prigoginei, but also commonly referred to as Phodilus prigoginei) flies on quietly — beyond researchers’ radar — in the face of possible extinction.

Out in the wild, researchers say a few thousand may survive in a tiny pocket of Central Africa. Itombwe Nature Reserve in the Democratic Republic of Congo is the bird’s last known location, and the 1996 expedition was one of the last expansive surveys of the Itombwe massif, a mountainous mosaic of grassland, bamboo vegetation and forests.

Butynski’s team also took photos of the owl, which they sent to Michel Louette at the Royal Museum for Central Africa (now AfricaMuseum) in Tervuren, Belgium. Louette, who was in charge of the museum’s bird collection, confirmed it was the Itombwe owl.

Louette could identify the owl because the Tervuren museum housed the only specimen of the species, also known as the Congo Bay owl A squad helmed by Belgian mineralogist-turned-ornithologist Alexandre Prigogine captured that bird in 1951 during an expedition to the DRC when the sprawling Central African nation was still a Belgian colony.

“This owl is virtually unknown,” Louette tells Mongabay.

The 1996 mission was part of a five-month survey organized by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) focused on great apes and endemic birds of the Albertine rift highlands. Many of the birds uncovered during the WCS-led campaign had been cataloged earlier by Prigogine’s crew.

Prigogine carried out some of the most fruitful explorations of the Congo’s biological bounty (the area was then called the Belgian Congo), collecting more than 20,000 specimens. Between 1950 and 1967, he and his collectors helped describe 565 species new to science, including P. prigoginei. The records from Butynski, affiliated with Zoo Atlanta’s Africa Biodiversity Conservation program at that time, were definitive proof the Itombwe owl wasn’t lost.

Then, the bird disappeared again.

Owls, avian members of the order Strigiformes (there are around 225 owl species), come in a variety of hues (ranging from snowy white to tawny brown) and sizes (from the diminutive elf owl to the hefty Eurasian eagle-owl). The owl captured by Butynski and colleagues had a wingspan of 63 centimeters (2 feet) and weighed 195 grams (6.9 ounces), smaller than the planet’s most ubiquitous owl, the barn owl (Tyto alba).

Its upper body was a deep rust color with blackish striations on the belly. The captured individual was presumed to be an adult female, owing to its brood patch (an underbody area of featherless skin that keeps eggs and chicks snug). Prigogine’s type specimen from 1951 in Tervuren was also a female. No male Itombwe owl exists in the scientific record.

Where many birds peek, glance or skim, owls transfix, thanks to their large front-facing eyes and exceptional neck-swinging abilities (a neat 270 degrees in each direction). Owl eyeballs are fixed in their sockets, so this swiveling action is necessary for them to take in their surroundings.

An overlap in the visual field of the eyes allows the owl to focus on an object using both eyes, similar to humans. But their night vision is vastly superior to ours, allowing them to hunt in the dark. In doing so, owls are guided as much by sound as by sight. The ruffed visage isn’t decorative: it funnels sound to their ears. Imagine an ear trumpet for a face, which picks up sound waves over a wider area.

Artist’s impression of the Itombwe owl. The bird was not seen in life at the time of the painting. Painting by S. Berger, Royal Museum for Central Africa collection. Image courtesy of Michel Louette.

Combined with the fact that owls can flap their wings noiselessly, it makes them formidable hunters. Their usual prey are small mammals like rodents, as well as insects, birds and reptiles.

Most owls are carnivorous and nocturnal. Since the Itombwe owl was captured in grassy highlands adjacent to forests (at an elevation of 1,830 m, or 6,000 ft), Butynski and his colleagues hypothesized that it rests in the grasslands during the day and hunts in the woods at night. Prigogine’s owl was also caught napping in a grassy meadow at 2,430 m (7,800 ft). Researchers say they believe it’s a highland species.

“The museum specimen is very interesting for the morphology” — the physical characteristics of the bird — “but you don’t know anything about the biology or the sound it produces,” Louette says. “You don’t even know if it is normally positioned high or low in the trees.”

Even so, it has found itself at the center of a taxonomical tussle. When the type specimen appeared, ornithologists placed it in the genus Phodilus, under the assumption that it was closely related to the Oriental bay owl, Phodilus badius. The feathered frame of its face seemed reminiscent of bay owls — more angular than rounded.

Barn owls come in two genera, Tyto and Phodilus. The latter, also called the bay owl, has only two confirmed members: the Oriental bay owl and the Sri Lanka bay owl, Phodilus assimilis.

So, a bay owl from Africa would indeed be a rare bird.

But experts now say the contours of its facial disk might place the bird among barn owls of the genus Tyto rather than Phodilus. The Itombwe owl’s beak is also more compressed than that of the known bay owls, Heimo Mikkola, a leading authority on owls, noted in his 2012 opus Owls of the World: A Photographic Guide. Its feet, claws and eyes are smaller than those of typical bay owls.

Louette, who published a book in 2023 cataloging the type specimens housed at the AfricaMuseum, called the International Ornithologists Union’s decision to move the Itombwe owl into the Tyto genus “preliminary.”

“They relied on morphology,” he says. “The phylogeny [evolutionary tree] of the bird is not confirmed by DNA research. Morphology is, to an extent, a matter of opinion.” However, he says an attempt to extract DNA from the type at Tervuren was unsuccessful.

A forgotten home

Bay owl or not, a bird known only from a refuge like Itombwe is rara avis — a rare bird. The protected area sits in one of the most politically volatile arenas of the human world. Eastern DRC’s war-torn past and protracted political conflicts have resulted in millions of deaths over the years. According to the United Nations, there are now more than 7 million internally displaced people in the country.

Political instability has also limited scientific ventures and hobbled conservation in one of the most biologically rich places on the continent. Butynski describes Itombwe as a “great refuge” for species that live in montane forests. Elsewhere, the surveyors called it the “richest single forest for African birds.” It’s home to more than 1,000 plant varieties and nearly 600 bird species. Thirty of these are believed to be endemic, found nowhere else on Earth, including the Itombwe owl.

The owl is at risk of disappearing because there’s only one validated population threatened by habitat degradation, loss and fragmentation, Butynski says.

Conservation efforts in the Itombwe region of South Kivu province gained momentum at the turn of the century, propelled by the presence of great apes. The Itombwe reserve’s most high-profile inhabitants are critically endangered eastern lowland or Grauer’s gorillas (Gorilla beringei graueri) and their primate cousins, the chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).

Itombwe Nature Reserve (INR) was established in 2006 under a government decree, with the support of the international NGOs WWF and WCS and input from a local nonprofit, AfriCapacity, but without the consultation of residents.

Aerial view of the Itombwe Nature Reserve.

There were 600,000 people living in and around the area when the reserve took shape. It took the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (known by its French acronym ICCN), the top wildlife authority in the DRC, which manages INR, a decade to define the reserve’s boundaries in consultation with communities.

The ICCN decided to implement a community-based approach involving local chiefs and people. This included forming conservation committees and organizing patrols by eco-guards along with residents.

But official recognition failed to keep anthropogenic chaos at bay. Watching over an expanse of 5,732 square kilometers (2,213 square miles) was a massive undertaking. Threats ranged from mining to hunting to agricultural expansion. Armed groups camping within the reserve made the task all the more challenging.

“We are trying to conserve biodiversity with the involvement of the communities rather than against them. But we now lack support,” Germaine Buhendwa, then director of INR, said in a 2023 dispatch from the Rainforest Foundation Norway.

Support from both international players and residents has ebbed in recent years.

Research published in 2022 documented residents’ deepening discontent with the protected area. People anticipated the reserve would bring much-needed material development to the region, from jobs to roads to tourists. But these benefits haven’t materialized. Study co-author Fergus O’Leary Simpson, a researcher at the University of Antwerp specializing in conservation and conflict in the eastern DRC, says mounting challenges threaten to turn INR into a paper park: a “protected area on paper that has very little implication on the ground.”

Map of Itombwe Reserve produced by Riccardo Pravettoni for Gauthier 2016.

The presence of conservation actors on the ground was thin from the start. Of the five sectors that make up the Itombwe reserve, only two had ranger posts, deploying about two dozen guards. With these personnel, covering even a tenth of the INR would be difficult. In fact, between 2021 and early 2024, hardly any monitoring was happening in the reserve, according to the German nonprofit Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe, which promotes gorilla protection and is one of the few NGOs still active in the region.

“The Itombwe Nature Reserve is a protected area with high biodiversity and endemic spaces, but forgotten by a majority of organizations and people who support the conservation of biodiversity,” Séguin Caziga Bisuro, INR’s current director, tells Mongabay.

When researchers from the U.S. set out to survey birds in the area last year, they couldn’t access the reserve because of tensions between INR authorities and the local population. Instead, they scoured forests outside the reserve; they didn’t spot any Itombwe owls.

Despite this, Butynski says he’s still optimistic because he came across the owl in a disturbed section of the massif in 1996. There was cultivation, cattle grazing and signs of fire activity nearby. Another possible sighting at a tea estate in Burundi in 1974 hinted at the owl’s ability to persist alongside humans.

The Itombwe owl may have homes away from Itombwe. “Owls are very difficult to come by, especially if you don’t know their calls at night,” Louette says. “Probably this owl is calling somewhere, but no one knows the call.”

In 1990, Robert Dowsett and Françoise Dowsett-Lemaire recorded a “long mournful whistle” in Rwanda suspected of emanating from an Itombwe owl. “We must hope that the bird will appear elsewhere, maybe in Burundi or Rwanda,” Louette says. The two countries share a border with the eastern DRC.

There are other encouraging signs. Simpson says Itombwe’s remoteness could be having a protective effect.

“There are many reasons that conservation is incredibly complex in this context, but even though the reserve is not really working at the moment, the forest has remained quite intact,” he says. There are no roads that lead to the protected area, and there are none within it.

Satellite data suggest forest loss is lower here than in other protected areas in the region, like Virunga National Park. In the past two decades, primary forest cover shrank by less than 3%, compared to 12% in Virunga. Still, remote sensing may miss more insidious impacts, whether from habitat degradation or wildlife hunting.

Earlier this year, park authorities held talks with the local traditional chiefs, who agreed to restart some conservation activities.

While there are still no confirmed sightings of the Itombwe owl, director Bisuro says he doesn’t despair for it. “We don’t believe it is extinct,” he says. “[It] is known by some members of the local community. According to them, the species continues to exist in the reserve.” Bisuro calls for more scientific expeditions to confirm community members’ accounts.

Another encounter could do more than assure scientists the owl endures. It would be a chance to collect elusive DNA samples and put the debate about its identity to bed.

From BBC

The 18-year-old barn owl was discovered at Eastfield Farm in Hough on the Hill

Bird experts say they have found the oldest barn owl ever recorded in Britain and Ireland.

The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) said the owl, originally ringed as a chick in Nottinghamshire in 2007, was discovered at a farm in Lincolnshire during the organisation's annual barn owl survey.

Not only was the female owl found to be the oldest - beating the previous record of 15 years and seven months - but she was also breeding a six-week-old chick.

A spokesperson for the Barn Owl Trust said the discovery was "incredibly rare" and "great news" for the future of the species.

Barn owl expert Alan Ball said he was amazed by the discovery

Alan Ball has been ringing barn owls for the past 40 years on behalf of the BTO in Lincolnshire and parts of Nottinghamshire.

He told the BBC he paid a visit to Eastfield Farm in Hough on the Hill in June to monitor the barn owls as usual before he realised something "slightly peculiar" about one of the female adult birds.

"I recognised the first few letters on its ring, and remembered that I had recorded this owl some time ago," said the 68-year-old.

"We found out this bird had been recorded in Nottinghamshire on 23 June 2007. The date we'd found it was the 25 June 2025, making it 18 years old.

"Immediately, I knew it was one of the oldest, if not the oldest. I was amazed by the discovery.

"For a barn owl to be alive and breeding at that age is spectacular, and a brilliant sign for their future."

The average lifespan of a barn owl is about four years

Ben Lord looks after the owls on the farm after his grandfather retired 15 years ago, and said the discovery "means a lot" to them.

"My grandfather devoted lots of time on the farm to monitoring the owls and maintaining the boxes they stayed in - he actually built them himself," he said.

"To think that our little farm in Lincolnshire was the place for something like this is great - it puts us on the map."

Barn owls have an average life expectancy of four years, according to the Barn Owl Trust.

Most owls die in the winter time due to food shortages and harsh weather conditions, but conservationists at the trust believe milder winters are causing more of them to survive.

Daniel Whitelegg, an assistant conservationist at the trust, said the owls' increased survival was also down to the work of volunteers.

"These birds have gone from being relatively rare in the country to more common because of volunteers and farms like these checking up on them," he said.

"Only 40% of these owls make it to breeding age, so the fact this one has survived this long and is breeding is exceptional.

"The work of volunteers is so important, and we would love to see more barn owls making it to this age - we are hopeful for the future."

From BBC

Barn owl conservationists in Sussex say they are worried about a drop in population numbers as they aim to find out what has caused the "worst breeding season in decades".

Volunteers say they have seen fewer than 10 chicks in nest boxes across the county so far this year, a marked decline on previous breeding seasons which had generally seen a recovery in barn owl numbers.

Researchers from the University of Brighton are trying to discover why numbers are so low. They are monitoring what the barn owls eat to help study their habitat.

Terry Hallahan, founder of the Sussex Barn Owl Group, said: "It's the worst year I have ever experienced in the 34 years I have been monitoring barn owls."

Martin Flores putting a ring on a young owl's leg

Each breeding season, trained volunteers check the health of young owls before putting rings on their legs so the birds can be identified.

Over 90% of barn owls in Sussex are now nesting in the 300 bird boxes spread across the county, Mr Hallahan said.

Martin Flores, a licensed bird ringer working with the volunteers, said the team had been sent images of barn owls hunting where they can identify the bird "right down to the individual, which chick they were and what nest they were in".

He added: "That's really positive and helps us start to map the population of barn owls in Sussex."

Volunteers are now teaming up with the University of Brighton to study the barn owl's habitat through owl pellets – the regurgitated remains of their prey which the birds are unable to digest.

Dr Maureen Berg, an ecologist at the university, said that from the pellets researchers can begin to gauge how healthy the habitats are for the barn owls, helping them to spot issues which could be leading to the decline in numbers.

From Keith Bannister

Angels of the north, long eared owls face to face

From Chan Kai Soon

Buffy Fish Owl

Perak, Malaysia

From Paul Bannick

Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus)

A female Snowy Owl falls to the ground after defending herself against a Pomerine Jaeger. As the Jaeger attacks in flight, she somersaults in the air and presents her razor-sharp talons.

Pomarine Jaeger

From Shravan Sundaram

Awakening - A Western Screech-Owl emerges from a sycamore cavity at sunset to begin the evening hunt.

My anecdotal observation is that sycamores are one of the preferred tree species of Western Screech-Owls along with oaks.

I often think about how these natural cavities must be prime real estate in the natural world. I learned from a friend a while back about an instance where a Northern Saw-whet Owl displaced a Western Screech-Owl from a cavity and I thought that was very interesting. There are probably so many interspecific interactions going on in ecosystems that we don't get to see!

Species: Western Screech-Owl (Megascops kennicottii)

Location: California, USA

Equipment: Canon EOS R3 + RF 100-500mm IS

Settings: 1s, ISO: 640, f/8 @500mm, On Tripod w Remote Release, Electronic Shutter

From Jeremy Johnson

This Owlet strutted towards me with such swagger even in our 110°+ heat! Burrowing Owls have the best expressions of any bird, in my opinion. They are about the size of a Robin, but with much better legs!

From Risma Fadila

Just as dusk settled in this Northern Saw-whet owl started its evening hunt.

From Goutam Das

SPECIES :- Indian Eagle Owl (হুতুম পেঁচা)

DEVICE :- Nikon D7500 with 200-500 mm lens.

DATE :- February 2023.

PLACE :- Purulia, West Bengal.

India is blessed with so many wonderful owl species!

From Pete Taylor

Just caught this stunning female in the last of the light.

From Blackland Prairie Raptor Center

When life gives you oil... you get a bath you didn't ask for.

This great horned owl came into our rehab center coated in an unknown oily substance - definitely not part of their natural beauty routine. Our rehab team stepped in for an emergency spa day!

While this owl might look like it's questioning all its life choices, these baths are a critical step in saving wildlife affected by environmental contamination.

Don't worry, once cleaned and dry, this feathered warrior will be on the road to recovery!

Follow up on this story from earlier

From Raven Ridge Wildlife Center

In early May, we admitted a Great Horned Owl who had found herself in a perilous situation, trapped in a manure pit. Her rescue involved the collective effort of many compassionate individuals. Once she was freed from the pit, the farmer gently placed her on the ground and promptly contacted the Pennsylvania Game Commission. They reached out to one of our dedicated transporters, who bravely undertook the hour-and-a-half journey, overcoming the strong odor of manure, to bring her to our facility.

Upon arrival, our team donned isolation gowns, safety glasses, and masks, prepared for the challenging task ahead. It's worth noting that Great Horned Owls understandably do not enjoy warm baths. After multiple rounds of careful washing and rinsing, she was finally allowed to rest in a warm incubator to begin her recovery.

Her rehabilitation journey was extensive, requiring time to heal from trauma, receive necessary antibiotics, and restore her feathers to their natural, pristine condition. To ensure her was fully prepared for life in the wild, she underwent thorough flight conditioning. However, the process was delayed by storms and severe flooding, as we wanted to guarantee several days of clear weather for her release.

Finally, we made the hour-and-a-half drive back to her home. As a seasoned adult, she was well-acquainted with her territory and surroundings, demonstrating a remarkable sense of familiarity. It was heartening to witness her reclaiming her rightful place in the wild. With unwavering dedication from our team, she was released back into the freedom she deserves, where she can thrive once again.

From Yao Li

I am grateful for the beautiful red cedar forest in the Pacific Northwest. Finding an owl on a red cedar tree makes it even more special.

From Mark Workman

She's scaring me! 😦

From CBS 21

Lancaster, PA — A FedEx driver is being noticed for answering the call to action after finding an injured owl while on his route.

The Raven Ridge Wildlife Center praised the driver, Justin, saying that he called the rescue after discovering the bird.

However, due to the center not having anyone available to assist, the postal carrier swooped into action and placed an empty envelope under the owl to track it down after his shift.

Sure enough, that's when Raven Ridge said Justin came back to the bird and used his work jacket and some plastic wrap to transport it in a FedEx mail bin to Raven Ridge.

We cannot express our gratitude enough for Justin's extraordinary commitment to rescuing and transporting this vulnerable creature to our care. This was a shining example of the 'FedEx Purple Promise' in action. Thankfully, Raven Ridge staff confirmed the animal is resting and receiving vital treatment for its dehydration and wounds.

"The next 72 hours are crucial for its recovery, and we remain hopeful for gradual improvement and a complete recovery, thanks to Justin's selfless actions," the nonprofit said.

"Every effort counts, and together, we can give this owl a second chance at life!"

From BirdGuides

Türkiye's population of Brown Fish Owl has been estimated at only 50-80 breeding pairs, according to a decade-long study by Doğa Derneği Association.

The findings, based on data gathered over 10 years in the wooded valleys of the Taurus Mountains in southern Türkiye, mark the first comprehensive estimate of the species' presence in the country, as reported by Ornithomedia.

Once thought to be nearly extinct in Türkiye, there was only one confirmed 20th-century sighting of the species, which involved a bird accidentally caught by a fisherman in 1990. However, increasing fieldwork and knowledge of the species' habitat have led to several new discoveries in recent years. Sightings were initially kept secret with valid concerns over the sensitivity of the rare owl, but this changed in July 2011 when a pair was found at an accessible site and was viewable from tourist boat trips.

Sedentary subspecies

The Turkish population belongs to the subspecies semenowi, a sedentary group that has vanished from neighbouring Israel, Syria and Jordan. Its current known range in Türkiye is now restricted to forested valleys, steep cliffs, and fish-rich rivers and reservoirs, particularly in Mersin Province.

Confirmed breeding sites include the Manavgat (Oymapinar) Dam, Köprüçay and Dimçay Valleys, the Tahtalı and Bolkar Mountains, and Termessos National Park. Pairs have also been observed near fish farms, which offer a reliable food source.

Despite these positive observations, the species is believed to be in decline. Ongoing threats include deforestation, mining activity and the expansion of hydroelectric power infrastructure, all of which disturb the owl's nesting sites.

Raising awareness

Conservation groups are working to locate and protect key habitats, with efforts supported by local municipalities and international organisations such as BirdLife International.

Doğa Derneği Association is leading outreach and awareness campaigns about Brown Fish Owl. A poster promoting owl conservation has been distributed to local communities, and a photo exhibition titled 'Discover the Fishing Owl Before Its Extinction' was held in early 2025 at Mersin's Marina shopping centre.

While that's not very many, it is still more than zero. I hope people decide to protect these precious few so as not to lose them forever.

From Lavin Photography

Eastern Screech Owl in a Cavity

From Harold Wilion

An owl with teeth?

This shot is a little creepy, although I love the perch this Barred owl was on. No, he didn't grow a set of teeth. Those are the feet of a good size mole that this owl ended up swallowing in just a matter of seconds after he tore into it just a bit

From Itombwe-Congo Wildlife Conservation

Rare and rediscovered in the Itombwe Forest of Eastern Congo... the Itombwe Owl (also known as the Congo Bay Owl or African Bay Owl).

I thought all these bay owls were in Asia, so I was surprised to find this species in Africa. I'll have to do some more investigation!

From Lim Ser Chai

Dusky Eagle Owl

Tanjung Karang-Malaysia

From Carolina Raptor Center

Optical illusion

Can you tell how many young Eastern Screech Owls are in this photo?

From Izzy Edwards

Fuzzy owlet reflecting at the water's edge. A nice summer memory spent with friends in the urban forest.

Barred Owl