by Jennifer Viegas
A newly discovered owl species lives on just one Indonesian island and whistles a one-note “song” that rhymes with the name of its island.
The Rinjani Scops owl is found on the island of Lombok, according to a paper published in the latest PLoS ONE. Its song sounds like “pok.” (Although sometimes it makes a “pooook” sound too.)
Its scientific name is Otus jolandae, after the wife of a researcher.
The new species was long confused with a more widespread Indonesian owl because they share similar plumage. Two members of a research team, however, have independently discovered that the vocalizations of the owls on Lombok are unique and different from all other Indonesian owls.