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Researchers + Owl

Three members of the research team, plus owl: (Left to Right) Bárbara Freitas, Ceciliano do Bom Jesus aka ‘Bikegila’, and Martim Melo.
Three members of the research team, plus owl: (Left to Right) Bárbara Freitas, Ceciliano do Bom Jesus aka ‘Bikegila’, and Martim Melo. Photo: c/o Martim Melo

Bom Jesus was once a parrot harvester but is now a park ranger and nature guide in Principe Obô Natural Park. In honor of his initial observations, invaluable local knowledge, and ongoing field assistance, Melo and colleagues named the owl bikegila, after Bom Jesus’ nickname. The formal name is also meant to acknowledge the often unrecognized contributions of Indigenous and local field guides in scientific research, said the study authors in a press release shared with Gizmodo.

Now, with all that important information out of the way, please enjoy a few bonus owl pics.

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