diff --git a/python/obitools3/dms/taxo/taxo.pyx b/python/obitools3/dms/taxo/taxo.pyx
index c0f1781..9368094 100755
--- a/python/obitools3/dms/taxo/taxo.pyx
+++ b/python/obitools3/dms/taxo/taxo.pyx
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 #cython: language_level=3
 
+import sys
+
 from obitools3.utils cimport str2bytes, bytes2str, tobytes, tostr
 from ..capi.obidms cimport OBIDMS_p, obi_dms_get_full_path
                           
@@ -34,7 +36,7 @@ cdef class Taxonomy(OBIWrapper) :
         return <OBIDMS_taxonomy_p>(self._pointer)        
 
     cdef fill_name_dict(self):
-        print("Indexing taxon names...")
+        print("Indexing taxon names...", file=sys.stderr)
         
         cdef OBIDMS_taxonomy_p pointer = self.pointer()
         cdef ecotx_t*     taxon_p
@@ -146,7 +148,9 @@ cdef class Taxonomy(OBIWrapper) :
         taxo._ranks = []
         for r in range((<OBIDMS_taxonomy_p>pointer).ranks.count) :
             taxo._ranks.append(obi_taxo_rank_index_to_label(r, (<OBIDMS_taxonomy_p>pointer).ranks))
-                
+        
+        print('Read %d taxa' % len(taxo), file=sys.stderr)
+        
         return taxo
 
     
@@ -304,6 +308,11 @@ cdef class Taxonomy(OBIWrapper) :
     def name(self):
         return self._name
     
+    # ranks property getter
+    @property
+    def ranks(self):
+        return self._ranks
+
     
     def parental_tree_iterator(self, int taxid):
         """
diff --git a/src/obidms_taxonomy.c b/src/obidms_taxonomy.c
index 7bc18e2..e5c8ab6 100755
--- a/src/obidms_taxonomy.c
+++ b/src/obidms_taxonomy.c
@@ -873,7 +873,7 @@ static ecotxidx_t* read_taxonomy_idx(const char* taxa_file_name, const char* loc
 	taxa_index->buffer_size = taxa_index->count;
 
 	taxa_index->max_taxid = 0;
-	printf("Reading %d taxa...\n", count_taxa);
+	fprintf(stderr, "Reading %d taxa...\n", count_taxa);
 	for (i=0; i<count_taxa; i++)
 	{
 		readnext_ecotaxon(f_taxa, &(taxa_index->taxon[i]));
@@ -886,9 +886,9 @@ static ecotxidx_t* read_taxonomy_idx(const char* taxa_file_name, const char* loc
 	}
 
 	if (count_local_taxa > 0)
-		printf("Reading %d local taxa...\n", count_local_taxa);
+		fprintf(stderr, "Reading %d local taxa...\n", count_local_taxa);
 	else
-		printf("No local taxa\n");
+		fprintf(stderr, "No local taxa\n");
 
 	count_taxa = taxa_index->count;