Rare owl spotted nesting in PingtungBy Esme Yeh / Staff reporterA juvenile eastern grass owl was spotted around Pingtung County’s Linbian River (林邊溪) last month, which was the southernmost sighting of the critically endangered species nesting in Taiwan, according to the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency’s Pingtung branch. The branch sent a team led by Hong Shiao-yu (洪孝宇), assistant professor of the Graduated Institute of Wildlife Conservation at National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, to conduct eastern grass owl conservation projects in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County. Eastern grass owls are pictured at Pingtung County’s Linbian River in an undated photograph. Photo courtesy of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency’s Pingtung branchThe finding marked the southernmost sighting of eastern grass owls nesting in Taiwan and demonstrated the species’ adaptability for habitat choice and life cycle, it said. The eastern grass owl, known as the “monkey-faced owl,” is the only owl species that nests in grassland in Taiwan, the branch said.

Source: Taipei Times March 06, 2026 17:14 UTC