- Bubo capensis
Identification
Length 48-58 cm. Dark brown, buff spotted upperparts, creamy-buff, dark blotched underparts, pale buff facial disk, orange-yellow iris.
Distribution
Eritrea, Ethiopia, South Africa, south Namibia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique.
Taxonomy
Bubo capensis has three subspecies:[1]
- B. c. dillonii
- B. c. mackinderi
- Kenya and Uganda to Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi
- B. c. capensis
- Extreme southern Namibia and South Africa
Habitat
Mountainous regions, hilly country, and rocky gorges.
Behaviour
The diet includes mammals, birds, reptiles, frogs and large invertebrates.
A scrape is made in a cliff ledge, in cave entrance or under bush. 1-3 eggs are laid and incubated for 35 days. The young fledge 6-7 weeks later.
References
- Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- World Owl Trust
