Tyto inexspectata
Silhouette: Sharon Wegner-Larsen · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The Minahasa masked owl (Tyto inexspectata), also known as the Minahasa barn owl, Sulawesi owl or Sulawesi golden owl, is a barn owl endemic to the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. The name is derived from the Minahassa Peninsula, where it was first described as a breeding bird; however, it is also known to live in north-central Sulawesi.
The Minahasa masked owl has short wings with a wingspan of 240–250 mm (9.4–9.8 in), well suited to its habitat in deep forests. It appears to prefer undisturbed or lightly disturbed rainforest at altitudes of 100–1,600 m (330–5,250 ft). As the primary lowland forests on the Minahasa peninsula has been destroyed, the survival of the species depends on the more inaccessible montane forests. The species is known to inhabit the two large protected regions (Bogani Nani Wartabone and Lore Lindu National Parks) established in central Sulawesi and Minahassa Peninsula. The remaining population is estimated to be 2,500–10,000.
BirdLife Species Factsheet Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tangkoko Nature Reserve | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Minahassa Masked Owl sighting in Tangkoko Nature Reserve on a given day, based on 41 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 89th most-seen of the 138 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March–April, July and October–November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Minahassa Masked Owl in Tangkoko Nature Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in May–June, August–September and December–February, the lowest months.
Between 4 and 7 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Minahassa Masked Owl sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Only Tangkoko Nature Reserve, in our data
Tangkoko Nature Reserve is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Minahassa Masked Owl sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Minahassa Masked Owl is recorded against all the birds logged in Tangkoko Nature Reserve (41 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
