Spotted Eagle Owl - Bubo africanus
ML-02
At Halali waterhole around midnight, Etosha NP, July 2002
Made a few futile attempts at catching bats in flight
Fuji Provia 400F, Sigma EX 100-300/4 + Sigma EX 1.4x Teleconverter, tripod
Spotted Eagle Owl
Length 43-47 cm, Wingspan 113 cm
Size large, eartuffs conspicuous, eyes yellow
Distribution
Africa south of Sahara, southern Arabia, throughout southern Africa
Habits
Usually solitary or in pairs, nucturnal, when disturbed may partly close eyes and raise eartufts, relying on camouflage, Hunts from perch, dropping onto prey, commonly perches on fenceposts or telephone poles, often killed by cars at night
Status
Common resident
Habitat
Rocky areas, woodland, forest edge, savanna, semidesert, towns
Food
mostly arthropods, also birds (up to size of nearly full-grown guineafowl), reptiles, mammals, frogs, rarely fish
