An Elusive Jungle Owlet
The Long Whiskered Owlet (Xenoglaux loweryi) is shown here at the Abra Patricia Reserve-Alto Nieva Private Conservation Area, located in the tropical forests of Abra Patricia in the Andes of Peru.
The species is endangered and its known range is extremely small, according to the IUCN. Very little is known about the Long Whiskered Owlet, and although it was first discovered in 1976, it wasn’t until 2007 that the elusive species was observed in the wild for the first time. The owlet’s numbers are continuing to decline because its remaining areas of suitable habitat around Abra Patricia are being lost to deforestation as a result of land being cleared for timber and agricultural activities.
(via: OurAmazingPlanet)
(image: Ecosistemas Andinos (ECOAN), Feb. 2007)
