Shelley's Eagle Owl Photographed First Time in the Wild

A giant owl that has gone almost unseen in African rainforests for 150 years has been photographed in the wild for the first time by British scientists working in Ghana.

Shelley’s Eagle Owl was spotted on 16 October in what has been hailed as a “sensational discovery” by ecologists.


With only a few thousand thought to be in existence, the species is officially classified as being at risk of extinction.


A picture of the bird was taken by Dr. Joseph Tobias, of the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial College London, and Dr. Robert Williams, an ecologist from Somerset.

The pair discovered the owl, of which there have been no confirmed sightings since the 1870s, during its daytime roost earlier this month.

Giant owl not seen for 150 years pictured in wild for first time
Spectacular and elusive Shelley’s eagle-owl rediscovered in Atewa Forest - MyJoyOnline.com

 

I went back and tried to see if this owl was mentioned on here and it looks like someone reuploaded one of the Antwerp Zoo photos, I'm glad we now have a more quality version of the bird.

127-Bubo-shelleyi01 - ZooChat