Rare Footage of Desert Tawny Owl (strix hadorami)

Along with Israeli ornithologist and videographer, Yuval Dax, we may have recorded the first ever footage of the newly described and rare Desert Tawny Owl (strix hadorami). The footage was taken of a pair of calling birds in a remote part of the Judean Desert in Israel during the second Champions of the Flyway bird race. Long assumed to be Hume’s Owl this bird has now been confirmed to be at least 10% different genetically, leading to its elevation to full species status. Thanks to The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, the Israel Ministry of Tourism, Jonathan Meyrav, Dan Alon, Kohav Levi and special thanks to Hadoram Shirihai, after whom the bird is named. This footage was made possible by the assistance of the Nature and Parks Authority. All footage shot with a Nikon D5100 camera, FSA L2 adapter and Nikon EDG 85 mm fieldscope.