The Long whiskered owlet, one of the rarest birds on earth, was filmed and photographed on January the 24th, in NPC’s main research area, La Esperanza. The owlet was observed by Shachar Alterman, an Israeli birdwatcher who joined the project for a month to carry out bird inventories in the region. The species was also seen by Noga Shanee, co-founder of the organization, and Edin Fonseca, a local guide without whos help it may not have been possible to find such a rare species.

The Long-whiskered owlet (Xenoglaux loweryi) was discovered in 1976, when it was caught in a mist nest by an ornithological team. Since it was first sighted, the owlet has been seen very few times. It is endemic to a very small altitudinal range in the humid montane forests of Amazonas and San Martin. The species is listed as Endangered on IUCN Red List.

Despite all efforts, by researchers and birders alike, no Long-Whiskered Owlet has been seen since 2007. As far as we know, this is only the fourth time this rare bird has ever been seen in the wild - and the first time it has been captured on video.

On the same night the owlet was found, the NPC group heard no less than five birds which responded to the recorded calls played by the team. No previous record of such dense population exists so far. Two other species of rare and endemic birds; Rusty-Tinged Antpitta and Johnson’s Tody-Tyrant were identified on the same trip.

The owlet is threatened by the same hazards which affect the yellow tailed woolly monkey. We are hoping that this new discovery of the Long-Whiskered Owlet’s population and the interest it will generate with birdwatchers and conservationist groups will help to further conservation efforts for this special forest ecosystem for the benefit both species and their habitat.

If you would like to visit La Esperanza to see this rare bird and other animals, please visit our page Community Tourism