Verreaux's eagle- owl - Wikipedia. Verreaux's eagle- owl, also commonly known as the milky eagle owl or giant eagle owl. This species is widespread in sub- Saharan. Africa. A member of the Bubo genus, it is the largest African owl measuring up to 6. This eagle- owl is a resident primarily of dry, wooded savanna. Verreaux's eagle- owl is mainly grey in color and is at once distinguished from other large owls by its bright pink eyelids, a feature shared with no other owl species in the world. Just over half of its known diet is comprised by mammals but equal or even greater numbers of birds and even insects may be hunted locally, along with any other appropriately sized prey that is encountered. As a large, highly territorial species of owl, it does however occur at fairly low densities and some regional declines have been reported. Nocturnal hunters, the spotted eagle owl spends most of the day concealed in trees, rock ledges or abandoned burrows. The Spotted Eagle Owl is a medium to large owl with prominent ear tufts. The upper-parts of the body are dusky brown with pale spots, the under-parts are whitish and finely barred. The description for the Cape Eagle-Owl (Latin. The type specimen that was later described by Temminck at the Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie was collected by Verreaux while he was still in his teens. It is, however, a very large and powerful owl species. This species is both the largest owl found in Africa and the world. Among all the world's owls, it is fourth heaviest living owl, after Blakiston's fish owl (Bubo blakistoni), the Eurasian eagle- owl (Bubo bubo) and the tawny fish owl (Bubo flavipes), and is also the fourth longest living owl (measured from the bill to the tip of the tail), after the great gray (Strix nebulosa), Blakiston's fish and Eurasian eagle- owls. In comparison, the females of the nominate subspecies of Eurasian eagle- owls and great horned owl (Bubo virginianus) are reported to average approximately 2. In both sexes, the tarsus has measured 7. The back is more solidly light brown with white spots on the shoulder. The oval facial disc is paler, sometimes ranging into a whitish color, than the rest of the front side of the bird with strong black borders bracketing either side. One other feature that immediately distinguished adult Verreaux's eagle- owls in good light are its pink eyelids. The ecological purpose of their colorful eyelids are not known, however Brown (1. The ear tufts are blunter and smaller relative to those of other African eagle- owls. The ear- tufts of this species being relatively subtle of this species can be missed in the field especially if they are held lax. They are much bigger and bulkier than most other co- occurring owls. The only eagle- owl species in range that approaches its size is the Shelley's eagle- owl (Bubo shelleyi), which may (but is not confirmed to) co- exist with the Verreaux's in northern Cameroon and the southern sliver of the Central African Republic most likely in forest edge and mosaics, but that species is a much darker sooty colour overall with broad black bands on the underside. Shelley's eagle- owl also has considerable different habitat preferences, preferring deep, primary forests, and is much more rarely observed in the wild. The individual home ranges, if not habitats, of the Verreaux's and cape eagle- owls may abut in nearly every part of the latter distribution. Even in its largest race (Mackinder's eagle- owl, B. The depth and quality of the song makes confusion by sound more likely with a leopard (Panthera pardus) than any other bird. At one time, the Verreaux's eagle- owl was mentioned as an owl with particularly mysterious genetic alliances among living owls. Prey of Giant Eagle Owls in the De Hoop Nature Reserve, Cape Province, and some observations on hunting strategy. Cape Eagle Owl Facts - Facts About Cape Eagle Owls - Please take a moment to Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video! View Our Channel To See More Cool Vi. Verreaux's eagle-owl (Bubo lacteus) . Considered extremely agile for its size, this raptor catches smaller birds in mid-flight. It makes use of stick nests built by weavers, crows and other raptors. The Eurasian eagle-owl (Bubo bubo) is a species of eagle-owl that resides in much of Eurasia. Indian and cape eagle-owls to the Eurasian eagle-owl is the smaller, less powerful and African spotted eagle-owl (B. Fraser's and Usambara eagle- owls also have a small amount of bare skin around their eyes but this tends to bluish in color and is not nearly as extensive as the pink seen in Verreaux's. The species is found at the highest densities in eastern and southern Africa. Due to the avoidance in this species of primary forests, they are found very spottily in west Africa. They reach their western distribution in The Gambia, Senegal, Guinea and Sierra Leone. Verreaux's eagle- owls mainly inhabit rather dry regions, some bordering into arid areas such as semi- desert. However, in general, they only sporadically inhabit rocky areas and so are generally very scarce in mountainous regions. In many known aspects of its hunting behaviour, it is typical of the members of the Bubo genus. This species hunt predominantly in early evening, however they have been observed to swoop on prey during daylight. However hunting on the wing has been reported, even of flying insects. The wing size of eagle- owls in general limits their flying speed and abilities in the open and so they require perches to execute most of their hunting behaviour. While earlier studies characterized great horned owl, one of the most well- studied members of the Bubo genus, has been as hunting whatever random species they first come across. This is the second broadest size range positively attributed to a single owl species for prey items after the Eurasian eagle- owl and the largest exceptional upper prey- size also after the Eurasian species. It appears that this species is the only routine predator of hedgehogs in Africa, most other predators of small- to- medium- sized mammals choosing to pursue other abundant mammals without the hedgehog. After death, the hedgehog is skinned of its prickly back before being consumed by either the eagle- owl itself or the young at the nest. This may result in over a dozen hedgehog skins being found around Verreaux's eagle- owl roosts near their nests. Eagle- owl species from temperate zones may have no choice but to predate rodents which are rather small and this may require a nesting pair to hunt up to a dozen rodents nightly. This species has hunted bats in several cases from the 8. Lander's horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus landeri), the smallest known vertebrate prey species known for this eagle- owl, to Rousettusfruit bats that weigh over 1. Both the scrub hare (Lepus saxatilis) and the cape hare (Lepus capensis) have been reported as food, the scrub species estimated to average 2,7. Particularly often reported in foods of the Verreaux's eagle- owl as primates go is the vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus). Adult patas monkeys, averaging some 8,6. The remains of an adult grysbok (Raphicerus melanotis), weighing an estimated 1. Common, social species from savanna- edge such as the 7. Cynictis penicillata) and the 7. Suricata suricatta) have been attacked, as well as larger, shy forest dwellers such as the 2,5. Jackson's mongoose (Bdeogale jacksoni). At Lake Baringo Country Club in Kenya, this eagle- owl has apparently taken to habitually hunting outdoor cats, reportedly making the cats on the grounds highly skiddish. More than 5. 0 avian prey species have been identified and they may locally exceed mammals in importance in the diet, somewhat unusually for eagle- owls. Many cases of predation involve nest robbery, with nestlings or fledglings being taken, although adult birds may be taken just as often, especially for species with less conspicuous nests. The species best represented in biomass in the prior study was the black- headed heron (Ardea melanocephala) with several adults estimated to average 1,2. Perhaps the most widely prey species reported from this group is the 1,2. Numida meleagris), which may seasonally dominate the eagle- owl. To date the cape crow (Corvus capensis) and pied crow (Corvus albus) are the corvids reported in dietary studies but in Ethiopiathick- billed ravens (Corvus crassirostris), which at 1,5. Various snakes have been included in their diet ranging from the small, innocuous brown house snake (Boaedon fuliginosus) at 3. Egyptian cobras (Naja haje) weighing over 4. Unidentified frogs were fairly significant in the diet from Kenya. In some cases, they may prey on insects as small as termites and even smaller invertebrates have been recorded in pellets such as orbatid mites and Sarcophaga flies, but are likely consumed incidentally while eating a larger item, either from carrion or the stomach of the prey itself. Verreaux's eagle- owl has been known to feed on dung beetles among herds of African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) by night, boldly diving below the massive bovids. These species are all primarily insectivores and are much reduced in the size and strength of their feet and talons compared to most other contemporary species, although the spotted eagle- owl can be locally specialized to feed on small rodents as well. Among the small- to- mid- sized owls that have fallen prey to this species including the barn owl (Tyto alba) and the African grass owl (Tyto capensis), both of which average around 4. Africa, the 3. 34 g (1. Asio capensis) and the 2. Ptilopsis granti). Such prey is not quantitatively significant as a food source but since raptors as a rule are sparsely distributed the habitual visitation of a single or pair of Verreaux's eagle- owl can potentially be devastating to a local population. A case of the Verreaux's eagle- owl killing an adult Pel's fishing owl in Botswana was verified. At roughly 2,0. 00 g (4. Successful nighttime attacks have been reported on adults of the 2,8. African fish eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer) and the 4,0. Sagittarius serpentarius). In the Matobo Hills of Zimbabwe, the Verreaux's eagle- owl has been considered as one of the inferred predators of 4,1. Verreaux's eagle (Aquila verreauxii), although whether adults or only nestlings are vulnerable is not definitely clear. In fact, the martial eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus), in most regards the largest eagle in Africa, is sometimes regarded as the diurnal ecological equivalent of the Verreaux's eagle- owl. Verreaux's eagle- owl are likely to give martial eagles a respectful amount of space during daytime and there are no records of the two species harassing one another. There a single recorded instance of an immature crowned eagle being aggressively displaced at night by an adult Verreaux's eagle- owl when it happen to encroach on the eagle- owl. More often foxes are prey rather than predators for northern Bubo owls. As in most owls, a courtship display is both to establish mates for a newly mature pair of eagle- owls or to strength pair bonds prior to nesting.
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