It is quite hard to pinpoint exactly which is the rarest owl of all but in this article, I will be focusing on a few key owl species:
- The long-eared owl – The rarest owl in Britain
- The Spotted owl – One of north Americas rarest species
- The Cloud Forest Pygmy owl – Originates in South America and is deemed extremely vulnerable
- The Blakinston’s fish owl – Arguably the rarest owl in the world.
- The Bornean Rajah Scops owl – Which has made a fascinating reappearance in the last 10 years
The Long-Eared owl – The Rarest Owl in Britain
The Long-Eared owl is located across the UK, more abundantly in Ireland and much fewer are spotted in Wales and the South West. These owls are considered rare in Britain as their numbers are declining due to habitat loss. They are also in competition with Tawny owls which means they are often misplaced or overpowered in some areas. Therefore, they are more abundant in Ireland as Ireland does not have a Tawny population. Unfortunately, it is hard to decipher the exact numbers but it has been estimated that there are around 1,800 – 6000 breeding pairs, which may seem a lot but in comparison to other species this is quite scarce.
So, when is best to try and spot this rare species? Well, they are extremely difficult to find during breeding season which ranges from February onwards throughout the year. Therefore, the best time to try and spot one would be while they are migrating across coastal areas or when they are returning to their roosting areas preparing for the next mating season to begin, this would be in winter. Since they are arguably the most nocturnal of the owl species, they are even harder to spot as they are unlikely to be seen during the day. Long-Eared owls are most likely to nest in woodland areas where the trees are tall and dense, near open areas to hunt, so a night camera located in areas like this may just catch sight of one. Unfortunately, these owls are under reported and under studied so hopefully this changes before the species becomes under serious threat.
The Spotted Owl – One of North America’s Rarest Species
The Spotted owl is a resident of western North America where they range in distribution between British Columbia, Oregon, California, Mexico and more. Sadly though, it is suggested that increased habitat destruction means that this owl is a near threatened species meaning that it is becoming a rare species. Timber harvesting is very damaging for the Spotted Owl and has sadly overtaken millions of acres of old-growth forests where they live. Strangely though, it seems that even when US officials made changes to halt the logging industry to try and help the Spotted owl population, the population continued to decline and this seemed to be because they are in competition with the Barred owl. In 2009 populations of Barred owls were removed from certain areas to try and control the competition arising and allow the Spotted owl to try re-flourish. This worked well and with less Barred Owls, the Spotted Owl populations did improve.
The northern Spotted owl caused an uproar when the ‘God Committee’ a provision of the Endangered Species Act, were deciding whether to open more federal forest for commercial logging. Two federal agencies battled this out ‘the Bureau of Land Management’ and ‘The Fish and Wildlife Service’. The committee ruled for the exemption of 1700 acres to the ESA, potentially opening the door for the species to become extinct. This became a complex case as the legal battle continued causing important considerations for environmental law. Sadly, the numbers continue to plummet even after 8,600,000 acres were designated to home the critical species across Arizona, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico. In 2006 it was clear that breeding pairs were low, looking to be less than 30 in Canada and a 7.2% annual decline across Northern Washington and South Western British Columbia.
This sad state of affairs doesn’t seem too positive for the Spotted owl. The Fish and Wildlife Service argued that the Spotted owl should be put on the endangered status lists to raise concern for the species but sadly they have not yet made the list as other species are taking higher priority.
The Cloud Forest Pygmy Owl – Originates in South America and is deemed extremely vulnerable
The Cloud Forest Pygmy Owl is a very small species of owl which lives in the Andes of Western Columbia and North-Western Ecuador. They are deemed extremely vulnerable because of their rapid population decline due to severe deforestation, mostly timber logging (seems to be an ongoing issue with this). Over 85% of forest within Western Ecuador has been lost and with human population taking over important habitats for owls, they cannot flourish as they once did in some areas. It is estimated that there will be between 2500 – 9999 individuals in the wild. Cocoa plantations and cattle farming also pose a threat due to their intensive agricultural development meaning they force Pygmy owls out of their habitats / destroy them.
Conservation projects do run to attempt to help various animals survive through deforestation and other environmental / developmental threats but sadly, Cloud Forest Pygmy Owls benefit very little from these projects as they do not currently have any large populated areas that are protected for their benefit even though suitable habitats would be available for these species to thrive.
The Blakinston’s fish owl – Arguably the rarest owl in the world.
The Blakinston’s Fish owl, also the largest owl species is arguably the rarest owl in the world due to their widespread loss. This is due to the forests they occupy being destroyed for land development and construction projects to take place. Sadly, there are many killers of these beautiful large owls such as hunters, cars, power lines, lead poisoning and many more. Genetic tests found that many of the Blakinston Fish Owls had an inbreeding problem due to small numbers. These owls are a good sign of a well-established and healthy forest with positive equilibrium between the nature. A forest with dying Blakinston Fish Owl suggests a forest on the decline.
The current population ranges from just over 11 in Japan (20 breeding pairs and single individuals) to perhaps around 1500 individuals and 850 breeding pairs in Russia. Regardless, these numbers are very small and these ongoing deaths are likely to lead to extinction if we keep losing these owls at such rapid rates. There are local conservation projects in Japan which aim to educate people on these owls, they install nest boxes and provide feeding where they can. This kind of effort is exactly what we need to see more of for these endangered species. Japanese conservationists are fighting for more land to be dedicated to these owls to help the growth of the population.
The Bornean Rajah Scops owl – Made a fascinating reappearance in the last 10 years
The Rajah Scops Owl is native to Southeast Asia but this owl has a sub species known as the Bornean Rajah Scops owl and this owl, native to Borneo, had not had a documented sighting in 130 years! The species was first documented back in 1892 but then it seemed to decline exceedingly quickly until recently when this species was spotted once again! In 2009, a team of ecologists set up a project which consisted of observing birds in and around Kinabalu Park in Borneo for over a decade. In 2016, the Bornean Rajah Scops owl made an appearance and one of the team noticed this owl was different to the other birds they had been observing so quickly alerted the others. The team really tried to gather as much information as they could about the Owl but unfortunately the most they could do was take a few photos before the owl disappeared again and didn’t reappear.
Since the owl has not been around to study it has only just come to the attention of ecologist and conservation workers that the Bornean Rajah Scops owl may be their own species of owl and not actually a sub-species at all. It seems that these owl species may have once been similar but since their time apart in different areas, they have evolved very differently now and do not resemble sub species.
Sadly, there has been no other sighting reported since 2016 but conservationists are hopeful that the owl can be spotted again soon by locals. The one-off sighting does suggest that numbers must probably be very low in the wild, but this is better than the species being totally extinct which was expected since the owl hadn’t been sighted in so long. Hopefully more of these owls can be sighted and more data can be collected such as a feather so that better efforts can be made to protect the species. Rediscoveries are so important for educating others and raising awareness for the almost forgotten species. Positive news could be that locals do see the owl more often but do not acknowledge the importance of their sighting. Local birdwatchers have been asked if they have seen the owl before though, and sadly they said they hadn’t. Thankfully, this owl going missing and then returning to us again shows there is hope for this to happen for many other ‘lost’ species.
Therefore, there are many rare species of owl, and this only highlights six of these owls that are struggling with many difficulties when it comes to their conservation status. Their wild populations are dropping and conservation efforts are needed to save these impressive owl species and bring back their precious numbers!