This image of the widespread Olive-backed Sunbird is similar to the new species, the Wakatobi Sunbird, which has a higher-pitched song, darker plumage, and shorter wings (photo by David Ongley). This image of an African Scops Owl provides an illustration of how the newly described Principe Scops Owl looks (photo by Brad Arthur).

News of field biologists finding a new bird is always exciting, so the recent news of 2 very different species found on tropical islands far distant from one another is all but unheard of – until now: A new species of owl has just been described on Principe Island, off the west coast of central Africa in the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, and a new species of a colorful sunbird has been identified in the tiny Wakatobi Islands in central Indonesia. Named for their respective islands, the Principe Island Scops Owl and the Wakatobi Sunbird are the newest birds known to science!

Starting with the Principe Scops Owl, which looks similar to a screech owl, the easiest way to recognize this species is by its unique call – in fact, the owls’ call was one of the main clues leading to its discovery. Subsequent population surveys across the entire Principe Island were conducted to determine the distribution and population size of the new species.

As reported in the journal Bird Conservation International, the Principe Scops Owl is found only in the remaining old-growth native forest on Principe Island, located in the uninhabited southern part of the island. There the population occupies an area of only about 4½ square miles, showing an apparent preference for lower elevations. Within this small area the population densities of the new owl species are quite high, with the population estimated at more than 1,000. The known range of the Principe Scops Owl is fully included within the Príncipe Obo Natural Park, which should help secure the species’ protection as well as its old growth forest it inhabits.

The Wakatobi Sunbird

Biologists have also found a new species of a colorful tropical sunbird – the Wakatobi Sunbird – on the tiny Wakatobi Islands in central Indonesia (southeast of the island of Sulawesi). Native to the tropics of the Eastern Hemisphere from Africa to Australia, the 130 species of sunbirds are often compared to American hummingbirds and fill similar ecological niches.

It is interesting to note that this new species of sunbird was found along the scrubby vegetated margins of busy towns and villages, illustrating that not all newly discovered birds come from remote locations. The field work and museum studies were conducted by researchers from Trinity College’s School of Natural Sciences and Universitas Halu Oleo in Sulawesi, Indonesia, and the detailed description of the new species, the Wakatobi Sunbird, was just published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.

For more information about these exciting new discoveries, provided by ScienceDaily, see New species of owl discovered in the rainforests of Príncipe Island, Central Africa -- ScienceDaily and Several beautiful new bird species found on remote Indonesian islands -- ScienceDaily