Tiny rare owl spotted in Peru reserve

An extremely rare species of tiny owl has been seen in the wild for the first time, the American Bird Conservancy said recently. The long-whiskered owlet, one of the world's smallest owl, was discovered in 1976. Researchers have caught a few specimens in nets after dark but had not seen it in nature. It was spotted in the wild in February by researchers monitoring a private conservation area in Peru's northern Jungle. The owl is so district that it has been named in its own genus. "Xenoglaux", meaning "strange owl", due to the long wispy feathers around its reddish orange eyes. The owl inhabits the dense under growth of highland forests in a remote region of Peru.


(The New Indian Express, 26th  March,2007)