Papuan birder
- Lost in the Pacific -
Has any progress been made in describing that Masked-owl Tyto sp. caught on Seram sometime in the 1980s? or even any more recent attempts to try and re-locate it?
This owl is known from a single photograph to my knowledge, and which was published in some strange, very non-scientific journal in 1987. I gueses everyone had assume that that it was a population of the Lesser Masked-owl Tyto sororcula, which is found on close by Buru as well as in the Tanimbar Islands further south. Despite the fact that Buru and Seram are located close to each other they show relatively few similarities when it comes to the avifauna of these two Islands.
But I have read more recent opinions that some people believe that the Seram bird is rather a undescribed species, or more closely related to the Tyto nigrabrunnea found in the Sula Islands (between Sulawesi and Halmahera).
What annoy the most is that there dont seems to be much published about this Tyto owl found on Seram, despite being a very important record there is hardly ANY information and I have not seen any recent published about this owl, and it also annoy me to know that this find was not published in some well known journal as The Auk or BOC.
Neither it appears to be any more records of this owl since it was first discovered, a few birdwatchers and biologists have visited Seram since but I guess its the typical case, they have not searched in the correct altitudes or may not have put down any serious efforts to try and find it, but if anyone is aware of any more recent records from Seram I would be happy to hear about them.
Anyone which even happens to have seen the photograph of the Seram Tyto owl? or any recent work undertaken or including the Tyto owls found in Eastern Indonesia?
Thanks much in advance.
Iglezi
This owl is known from a single photograph to my knowledge, and which was published in some strange, very non-scientific journal in 1987. I gueses everyone had assume that that it was a population of the Lesser Masked-owl Tyto sororcula, which is found on close by Buru as well as in the Tanimbar Islands further south. Despite the fact that Buru and Seram are located close to each other they show relatively few similarities when it comes to the avifauna of these two Islands.
But I have read more recent opinions that some people believe that the Seram bird is rather a undescribed species, or more closely related to the Tyto nigrabrunnea found in the Sula Islands (between Sulawesi and Halmahera).
What annoy the most is that there dont seems to be much published about this Tyto owl found on Seram, despite being a very important record there is hardly ANY information and I have not seen any recent published about this owl, and it also annoy me to know that this find was not published in some well known journal as The Auk or BOC.
Neither it appears to be any more records of this owl since it was first discovered, a few birdwatchers and biologists have visited Seram since but I guess its the typical case, they have not searched in the correct altitudes or may not have put down any serious efforts to try and find it, but if anyone is aware of any more recent records from Seram I would be happy to hear about them.
Anyone which even happens to have seen the photograph of the Seram Tyto owl? or any recent work undertaken or including the Tyto owls found in Eastern Indonesia?
Thanks much in advance.
Iglezi
Last edited:
