Disconcerting trends in populations of the endangered Sokoke Scops Owl Otus ireneae in the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest, Kenya

Abstract

The Sokoke Scops Owl Otus ireneae is an East African endemic that occurs mainly in the Cynometra woodland of the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest (ASF) in coastal Kenya. Since its discovery in 1965 (Ripley 1966), two additional subpopulations were discovered; in 1992 a small population was discovered in the foothill forests of the east Usambara mountains in Tanzania (Evans et al. 1994),and in 2002 another small population was discovered in the Dakatcha woodlands, 30 km north of ASF (C Jackson and D Ngala, A Rocha Kenya and Arabuko-Sokoke Forest Guides Association [ASFGA], respectively, pers. comm.).With a small and severely fragmented range within which suitable habitat is declining, the species is currently listed as endangered in the IUCN’s Red Data List of threatened species (BirdLife International 2008). The ASF, the species’ stronghold, covers an area of 417 km2, of which only about 220 km2 is suitable habitat for this species