Giant Owl Not Seen For 150 Years Is Photographed In The Wild For The First Time
October 26, 2021
A giant owl that was thought to be extinct has been photographed in the wild for the first time in 150 years by scientists working in Ghana.
Giant Owl / Credit: @robsrw and @ja_tobias
The Shelley's Eagle Owl was spotted by Rob Williams and Dr. Joseph Tobias on the Atewa ridge in Ghana.
It is the first confirmed sighting since the 1870s. The bird was first described in 1872 from a specimen obtained from a local hunter in Ghana.
Despite only seeing the bird for 10-15 seconds, Williams and Tobias managed to snap enough pictures to identify it.
Shelley's eagle-owls have distinctive black eyes, a yellow bill, and are huge in size, which in combination rule out all other African forest owls.
"It was so large, at first we thought it was an eagle," Tobias said. "Luckily it perched on a low branch and when we lifted our binoculars our jaws dropped. There is no other owl in Africa’s rainforests that big."
A few days ago, @ja_tobias and I found and photographed Shelley’s Eagle-Owl on the Atewa ridge in Ghana. First modern documented record for Ghana and first field photo of the species. pic.twitter.com/9CpY9ZqiNB
— Rob Williams (@robsrw) October 21, 2021
Click Here For The Most Popular On Sunny Skyz
Couple Rescues Prairie Dog From Their Dog's Mouth, Then Decides To Adopt It
Hungry Elephant Casually Walks Into Grocery Store For Snacks In Thailand
Wild Orcas Keep Giving Humans Gifts, Leaving Experts Puzzled
My Girlfriend Gifted Me My Father’s Handwriting To Keep Forever
We Can’t Stop Looking At These Adorable Baby Loon Photos Taken On A Lake
This Couple Built A Grass Patch For Their Cat, And She’s Obsessed With It
Baby Elephant’s Trunk Steals The Show In Adorable Treat Time Video
'Am I Allowed To Be This Happy?' The Moment A Nervous Foster Dog Finally Lies In A Dog Bed
Grandma Thinks She's 60. Her Reaction To Learning She's 90 Is Priceless
What Happens When A Man With A Hose Meets A Group of Kids? Pure Magic
Chicken Or Pigeon? The Internet Can’t Believe This Bird Is Real