[order] STRIGIFORMES | [family] Strigidae | [latin] Bubo africanus | [authority] Temminck, 1821 | [UK] Spotted Eagle-Owl | [FR] Grand duc africain | [DE] Fleckenuhu | [ES] Buho Africano | [NL] Afrikaanse Oehoe
Subspecies
Monotypic species
Genus
Members of the genus Bubo are the largest of the owls. Heavily built with powerful talons they are recognisable by their size, their prominent ear-tufts, and their eyes that vary in colour from yellow to brown but are frequently vivid orange. The genus, including the Asian fish owls of the genus Ketupa – now believed to be part of Bubo – comprises of 20 species ranging Eurasia, Indonesia, Africa and the Americas. DNA evidence suggests that the Snowy Owls of Nyctea and the fish owls of Scotopelia are also candidates for inclusion in this genus.
Physical charateristics
The Spotted Eagle-owl is a medium-sized species of owl, one of the smallest of the Eagle owls. Its height is 45 cm with a 100 cm wingspan. The facial disk is off white to pale ochre and the eyes are yellow. It has prominent ear tufts, and the upper body is dusky brown, the lower parts off-white with brown bars.
Listen to the sound of Spotted Eagle-Owl
[audio:http://www.planetofbirds.com/MASTER/STRIGIFORMES/Strigidae/sounds/Spotted Eagle-Owl.mp3]
Copyright remark: Most sounds derived from xeno-canto
| wingspan min.: | 95 | cm | wingspan max.: | 105 | cm |
| size min.: | 45 | cm | size max.: | 46 | cm |
| incubation min.: | 30 | days | incubation max.: | 32 | days |
| fledging min.: | 46 | days | fledging max.: | 50 | days |
| broods: | 1 | eggs min.: | 2 | ||
| eggs max.: | 4 |
Range
Africa : South of Equator
Habitat
The Spotted Eagle Owl is found throughout most Africa south of the Sahara, with the exception of very dense forests.
Reproduction
Spotted Eagle-owls mate for life.They are able to breed at around one year of age. They make their nest on the ground and have been known to nest on window ledges of buildings. Breeding begins in July continuing to the first weeks of February. The female lays two to four eggs and does the incubation, leaving the nest only to eat what the male has brought food. The incubation period lasts approximately 32 days. The young owls can fly at around seven weeks of age. Five weeks later, the young owls leave the nest. They have a life span of up to ten years in the wild and up to twenty in captivity.A
Feeding habits
The Spotted Eagle Owls hunt predominantly at dusk, spending most of the day concealed in trees, on rock ledges or even in burrows of other animals. They will take a large variety of prey, from small mammals, birds in flight, reptiles, scorpions, crabs, frogs, bats & insects
Video Spotted Eagle-Owl
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2aoIEVL8Hs
copyright: Keith Blomerley
Conservation
This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). The population trend appears to be stable, and hence the species does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size has not been quantified, but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
Migration
Mostly resident, moves to higher areas during hot summers
Distribution map
