Researchers say one of the world's rarest owl species has a chance at survival after a breakthrough discovery on a remote Australian island.
For the first time in almost a decade, a pair of Norfolk Island morepork owl chicks have been located.
Rohan Clarke, an avian ecologist from Monash University, said the chicks represented the future of the species, given there were less than 50 individuals left on Earth.
"It's super exciting," Dr Clarke said.
"It's the best outcome we could have hoped for."
The owls only live on Norfolk Island which sits in the Pacific Ocean, more than 863 nautical miles east of Byron Bay.
Back from the brink
Researchers have worked for more than 40 years to save the dark, spotty owl species.
Work began in the 1980s after the island's population declined, leaving all-but one female.
"We knew we had to save it … and there follows an incredible history," Dr Clarke said.
In 1989, the last remaining owl was successfully paired with a male from a New Zealand subspecies.
The cross-Tasman relations meant that all subsequent generations of moreporks on Norfolk Island were now a unique hybrid.
"Now, as far as we know, the entire population on Norfolk have descended from that pair," Dr Clarke said.
Crisis huddle held
Dr Clarke works alongside Norfolk Island National Park rangers and says the new chicks are a delight to see.
But their arrival was hard earned.
Unexpectedly, the owls stopped breeding in 2012 and the dry spell continued until 2019.
At that point, crisis talks were held.
"We were really concerned because there was every chance that the existing owls would get old and lose their reproductive ability," Dr Clarke said.
At the emergency meeting a plan was hatched to build more nesting boxes throughout the island's national park.
Extra field staff were also allocated to monitor the owls' movements.
"Now, we're on the front foot to work with these birds and find a solution to keep them going," Dr Clarke said.
'As important as koalas'
Dr Clarke said saving the Norfolk Island morepork owl was vital work, despite their tiny stature and population.
"Norfolk Island, like many islands, has really unique biodiversity," he said.
"And it's the sum of all these small species that makes our region so biodiverse.
"Conserving this unique species is just as important as saving the koala on the mainland or the Tassie Devil in Tasmania."
