African Spotted Eagle Owl

Bubo Africanus 

Distribution: Sub-Saharan Africa, from Kenya and Uganda, south to the cape and North to the Southern borders of the Central African rainforest of Zaire and south Gabon and locally in South Arabia. 

Habitat: Open or semi-open woodlands with large shrubs and bushes, areas with thorny shrubs and scattered trees, semi-deserts, human settlements and rocky landscapes. 

Food: Large insects, small mammals, reptiles, birds and even other birds of prey (including falcons).

Facts: 

• Life-span for this species varies, 10 plus years in the wild but 30 plus in a captive setting.
• 2-4 while eggs are laid and incubated by the female.
• Weights range between 487-550grams for the males, while females weight ranges between 640-730grams.
• Roosts and nests in trees, rocky crevices and cave entrances and at sheltered sites on cliff ledges. Will also nest on the ground, usually sheltered among rocks, high grasses and even under bushes.
• Normally hunts from a perch, gliding down to seize prey on the ground, but will sometimes flush roosting birds from cover and catching them in flight. Both large insects and bats are also caught in mid-air.
• Main dangers to this species are human persecution, grass fires, collision with barbed-wire fences, poisons and being hit by cars along the roadside.