Two new Philippine owl species. Top left: Cebu hawk owl, Ninox rumseyi. Bottom right: Camiguin hawk owl, N. leventisi.

1. Image courtesy of the Oriental Bird Club. Original painting by John Gale.
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4. The Philippine Archipelago is filled with a tremendous variety of living things, and hundreds of new species have been discovered recently on the islands. The most recent addition to this roll call of biodiversity are not one, but two species of owls that are new to science.
5. The discoveries were confirmed by Pam Rasmussen, assistant professor of zoology and assistant museum curator of mammalogy and ornithology atMichigan State University in East Lansing. Publishing the discovery of two new bird species in one scientific paper is so rare that Professor Rasmussen and other researchers couldn't recall the last time it happened, according to the MSU press release.
6. Professor Rasmussen, who is first author on the paper, led the international team, which included individuals from BirdLife International, the Oriental Bird Club, the Philippines Biodiversity Conservation Foundation and Birdtour Asia.
7. These owls are found on the Philippine islands of Camiguin Sur and Cebu, for which they are being named