Owl, African Spotted Eagle (Bubo africanus)
Animal facts
Size.
These owls reach a length of approximately 45cm attaining weights of 480g to 850g.
Habitat and Distribution.
These birds can be found dotted around all of Africa south of the equator to the Arabian peninsula. They cover a variety of arid habitats from scrubland and woodland through to savannah and desert.
Age.
Their wild life span is approximately 10 years, whilst they have been recorded living to 20 years in captivity.
Diet
Due to the arid nature of their distribution they have to feed on a large variety of prey including birds, reptile and vertebrates, with young birds sometimes also having large invertebrates as part of their diet.
Groups and Breeding.
During July through to February these birds will nest on the ground laying 2 to 4 eggs which take around 32 days to incubate. Even though they are fairly solitary for most of the year the male will stay with the female to help her feed the young until the fledge.
Threats.
These birds are common throughout their range and not threatened by either predation or human settlement.
Interesting fact's.
The major cause of death for this species is through the passing on of pesticides from the prey (which may be rats, mice, large invertebrates etc.) to the owl.