Cape Eagle-Owl - BirdForum Opus

Photo © by Mike Barth
Bale Mountains, Ethiopia, August 2014

Bubo capensis

Includes Mackinder's Eagle-Owl

Identification

Length 48-58 cm (19-22¾ in)

• Dark brown, buff spotted upperparts
• Creamy-buff, dark blotched underparts
• Pale buff facial disk
• Orange-yellow iris

Distribution

Subspecies mackinderi
Photo © by monkir
Kenya, March 2017

Africa
Eastern Africa: Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique andMalawi
Southern Africa: Zimbabwe, Namibia, South Africa, Lesotho and eSwatini

Taxonomy

Subspecies

Bubo capensis has three subspecies:^[1]

• B. c. dillonii

• Highlands of southern Eritrea and Ethiopia

• B. c. mackinderi

• Kenya and Uganda to Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi

• B. c. capensis

• Extreme southern Namibia and South Africa

mackinderi is sometimes considered a full species Mackinder's Eagle Owl^[2].

Habitat

Mountainous regions, hilly country, and rocky gorges.

Behaviour

Diet

The diet includes mammals, birds, reptiles, frogs and large invertebrates.

Breeding

A scrape is made in a cliff ledge, in cave entrance or under bush. The 1-3 eggs are incubated for 35 days. The young fledge 6-7 weeks later.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Lepage D. (2020) [Avibase - https://avibase.ca/C4227465]. Retrieved 29 November 2020
3. World Owl Trust

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Cape Eagle-Owl. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 16 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Cape_Eagle-Owl

External Links

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