As dusk settles over Sri Lanka's ancient rainforests, the forest comes alive in ways few people ever witness. Cicadas begin their nightly chorus, frogs call from hidden streams, and somewhere beneath the towering canopy, a tiny owl announces its presence with a haunting call that, for years, puzzled even the country's most experienced ornithologists.

That mysterious voice belonged to the Serendib Scops Owl (Otus thilohoffmanni) - one of the world's rarest owls and among Sri Lanka's greatest natural treasures.

To read the full story visit https://island.lk/from-a-whisper-in-rainforest-to-a-national-treasure-the-serendib-scops-owl-still-guards-its-secrets/

‍