South Africa Birds - Spotted Eagle Owl {Bubo Africanus} - A medium to large owl with prominent ear tufts. Upper-parts dusky ...

A medium to large owl with prominent ear tufts. Upper-parts dusky brown with pale spots, the under-parts are whitish and finely barred. Facial disk whitish to pale ochre.

Name: Bubo aficanus

Size: 45cm, 480-850g

Habitat: Savannah, rocky outcrops, scrub, open and semi-open woodland, semi-deserts.

Distribution: Sub-equatorial Africa from Kenya and Uganda south to the Cape

Diet: Invertebrates, small mammals, birds and reptiles

Reproduction: July-February, 2-4 eggs laid in scrape on the ground, normally sheltered by a bush, grass or rocks. Incubation 32 days. Young leave the nest by about 5 weeks and are fledged by 7 weeks, but remain with parents for at least another 5 weeks.

Call: Song is normally 1 or 2 “double hoots”, followed by a 3 syllable hoot and then 1 long drawn out hoot hoo-hoo buhoohoo-hooo.