Africa Wild

394. African Wood-owl Strix woodfordii (Bosuil)
Order: Strigiformes. Family: Strigidae




Description
It is 30-36 cm long and weighs from 240 to 350 g. Strix woodfordii is a medium-sized strictly nocturnal owl. It has a rounded head without 'ear' tufts, a dark face with prominent white eyebrows and dark brown eyes surrounded by white. Brown above spotted with white, rufous and dark barring on whitish background below.
Immature has smaller eye-orbits and darker colouring.

Distribution
It lives in Africa from Senegambia to Sudan and south to Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, and on the east coast to South Africa. The distribution of the Wood Owl in southern Africa is essentially that of a tropical African species, extending south in moist woodland. Outside SA, Wood Owls are found throughout Mozambique to the east and most of Central and West Africa in tropical woodlands south of the Sahara. It occurs also in forests fringing the Drakensberg range and in the eastern highlands of Zimbabwe. The nominate subspecies occurs in southern Africa, including southern Angola, southern DRC and southern Tanzania.

Habitat
It lives mainly in forest and woodland though it sometimes inhabits plantations.

Diet
It eats mostly insects (such as termites, moths and beetles) but will also eat reptiles, small mammals, and other birds.

Breeding
It breeds from July to October. Most nests are started August–October. The same nest sites are used year after year, these generally being large natural cavities in trees. The female lays 1 to 3 (usually 2) eggs , which are incubated solely by the female for about 31 days, with the male doing all of the hunting. The chicks are cared for by both parents for the first week of their lives, after which the female only visits the nest occasionally. The chicks stay in the nest for about 30-37 days, leaving before they can fly. They scramble around the surrounding bush for about three more weeks, at which point they fledge, but they still remain dependent on their parents for about four more months.

Call
Its call is a loud series of fast hoots, a who-who, who-who-who are you? Listen to Bird Call.

Status
Fairly common localised resident. Classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List.

394. African Wood-owl Strix woodfordii (Bosuil)



Links:
Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds
Sabap2: http://sabap2.adu.org.za/spp_summary.ph ... &section=3
David Allan. A Photographic Guide to Birds of Prey of Southern, Central and East Africa
Peter Steyn: A Delight of Owls: African Owls Observed

398. Pearl-spotted Owlet Glaucidium perlatum (Witkoluil)
Order: Strigiformes. Family: Strigidae




Description
The Pearl-spotted Owlet is very small (15-18 cm) and stocky, with a longish tail. Round head without ear tufts. Big yellow eyes and distinctive white eyebrows. Two black eye-like spots on the nape. Brown upperparts with small white spots on crown and back, larger white spots on scapulars (forming a white line). Whitish underparts with brown streaks and white spots. Sexes alike.
Juvenile has a less rufous plumage, with fewer white spots on the head and a shorter tail.
Similar species: Resembles African Barred Owlet but is smaller, has spotted head, streaked not barred chest and false 'eyes' at back of head.

Distribution
Sub-Saharan Africa, excluding equatorial lowland forest and desert. Within southern Africa it is common in northern and central Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and northern South Africa.

Habitat
Mostly bushveld, open thorn savanna, sparse woodland.

Diet
Mainly insects; but also a partially diurnal hunter of rodents, bats, lizards, snakes and birds.

Breeding
Monogamous. It usually nests in old holes in trees, either natural or made by woodpeckers or barbets. It also uses natural tree hollows and nest boxes. Egg-laying season is from August-November, peaking from September-October. It lays 2-4 eggs, which are incubated mainly done by the female for 28-29 days. The male occasionally takes over so that the female can have a break. The chicks stay in the nest for 27-31 days, after which they live near the nest in dense bush, where they are fed by their parents for at least another 14 days.

Call
A rising whistle tee-tee-tee-tee-tee-tee, then descending teeew-teeew-tew-tew-tew-tew. Often heard during the day. Listen to Bird Call.

Status
Common resident.

398. Pearl-spotted Owlet Glaucidium perlatum (Witkoluil)

© JustN@ture

© Duke
Kruger National Park

© Amoli

© Pumbaa
False eyes

© mposthumus
It hunts small prey, such as this Red Roman Spider.

© Sharifa & Duke

© Sharifa & Duke

© Sharifa & Duke

Links:
Species text Sabap1
Sabap2
ARKive: http://www.arkive.org/pearl-spotted-owl ... -perlatum/
NEWMAN'S VOELS VAN SA (8ste UIT)

399. African Barred Owlet Glaucidium capense (Gebande uil)
Order: Strigiformes. Family: Strigidae




Description
A small owl which reaches a maximum size of 22 cm. The upperparts finely barred, the wings with a row of bold white spots reaching the shoulder. Underparts white with brown spots arranged in rows and distinctly barred tail. Large rounded, white spotted head. Pale face mask. Yellow iris. No ear tufts. Feathered feet.
The females are larger, but otherwise the sexes are similar.
Juvenile is similar to the adult, but less barred above and spotted below, at fledging it has a very short tail. Mouth and tongue are black.
Similar species: Slightly larger than the Pearl-spotted Owl, from which it differs by having barred upperparts and tail, and white edging to the scapulars.

Distribution
From southern Kenya and Tanzania to southern DRC, Angola, Zambia and southern Africa. Within southern it is locally common in north-eastern Namibia, northern Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and north-eastern South Africa. Kruger is generally the most southern point of the African Barred Owlet’s range although there is a small Eastern Cape population.

Habitat
Found mostly in well developed riverine forest and large tree woodlands fringing lakes; also in mixed bushveld with dense thickets.

Diet
The diet includes insects as well as small birds, mammals and reptiles.

Breeding
It usually nests in tree hollows, which can be up to about 6m above ground. It sometimes visit the nest by day, carrying feathers and leaves, which are presumed to be lining for the nest. It lays 2-3 eggs in the period from August-October. Incubated solely by the female for 28-34 days. It can be very stubborn about not leaving the nest, so much so that one can touch it without protest. The chicks are brooded for 14 days by the female, after which both parents hunt. The chicks are sometimes fed as many as 40 meals in six hours by both parents. The young owlets leave the nest after 32-33 days, after which they live in the vicinity of the nest. At about 42 days old, they learn to fly and become fully independent.

Call kerroo-kerroo-krroo-krroo-krroo-krroo-krroo.
http://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Glaucidium-capense

Status
Locally threatened in the Eastern Cape, where the subspecies G. c. capense occurs. This subspecies used to occur in KwaZulu-Natal, but since retreated to isolated areas in the Eastern cape. Classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List.

399. African Barred Owlet Glaucidium capense (Gebande uil)

© Peter Betts

© nan
Biyamiti Road, Kruger National Park

© Katja

Links:
http://sabap2.adu.org.za/docs/sabap1/399.pdf
http://sabap2.adu.org.za/spp_summary.ph ... &section=3
http://www.oiseaux-birds.com/card-afric ... d-owl.html
Warwick Rowe Tarboton, Rudy Erasmus: Sasol Owls & Owling in Southern Africa.
Alan Kemp, M. Kemp: Sasol Birds of Prey of Africa and Its Islands

395. Marsh Owl Asio capensis (Vlei-uil)
Order: Strigiformes. Family: Strigidae


Description
32-38 cm. Medium-sized dark brown owl, with gray facial disc and short, centrally placed small ear tufts, which are not usually visible; dark brown upperparts and plain brown chest with fine brown barring lower down (upperparts almost unstreaked). The tail barring and wing feathers are buffish in colour. It shows russet wings in flight. Legs feathered pale buff; feet dark brown, with blackish-horn claws. It has yellow eyes with black iris, bill and cere are dark brown to black.
Marsh owls exhibit sexual dimorphism and the sexes are distinguished by the females’ larger size and longer tail.
Juveniles have a dark facial disk that is outlined in black.
Similar species: In flight the buff underwing with black wing tips and the barred tail separate this species from the African Grass Owl which shows similar habitat preferences. African Grass-Owl has much paler, heart-shaped facial disc. Underparts buffy, with small, irregular dark spots; lacks small 'ear tufts'

Distribution
From Ethiopia to southern Africa, where it is uncommon to locally common in northern Namibia, northern and central Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and east-central South Africa.



Habitat
Damp grasslands and marshes.

Diet
Most of its diet consists of small birds and rodents – particularly the mole rat – but it may take prey up to the size of a striped polecat; often feeds on termites and beetles. Usually hunts in the day, it flies low over the ground, searching for prey and occasionally swerving or hovering. Once a prey item has been spotted it rapidly dives to the ground, picking it up with its talons before storing it in a nearby hiding place to be eaten later.

Breeding
Monogamous and territorial. It nests in a slight depression in the ground, concealed in dense grass and weeds. Egg-laying season is from October-December in Botswana, and mainly from March-April elsewhere in southern Africa. It lays 2-6, usually 2-4 white eggs, which are incubated solely by the female for about 27-28 days. The male does all the hunting, storing his prey in caches to be eaten later by either him or the female. The chicks stay in the nest for about 14-18 days, after which they crawl around the surrounding bush for a few weeks, at least until they learn to fly. The fledglings are thought to remain dependent on their parents until they are about 80 days old.

Call
A rasping whistle shrss or a loud frog-like croaking krrrrrrr said to resemble the noise made by slowly bending and breaking a branch.

Status
Common to uncommon resident. The Marsh Owl is the only species of owl in southern Africa that is gregarious, and this sociability also sometimes applies in the breeding season. Classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List.

395. Marsh Owl Asio capensis

© Dewi
Rietvlei, Gauteng

© PRWIN

© Duke

© Duke
Marievale, Gauteng

Links:
Sabap2: http://sabap2.adu.org.za/species_info.p ... #menu_left
Peter Steyn. A Delight of Owls: African Owls Observed
Claus König, Jan-Hendrik Becking. Owls of the World
David Allan. A Photographic Guide to Birds of Prey of Southern, Central and East Africa

The Caprimulgiformes is an order of birds that includes a number of birds with global distribution (except Antarctica). They are generally insectivorous and nocturnal. The order gets its name from the Latin for "goat-sucker", an old name based on an erroneous view of the European Nightjar's feeding habits.
The classification of the various birds that make up the order has long been controversial and difficult, particularly in the case of the nightjars. Traditionally, they were regarded, on morphological grounds, as being midway between the owls (Strigiformes) and the swifts. Like the owls, they are nocturnal hunters with a highly developed sense of sight, and like the swifts they are excellent flyers with small, weak legs. At one time or another, they have been allied with owls, swifts, kingfishers, hoopoes, mousebirds, hornbills, rollers, bee-eaters, woodpeckers, trogons and hummingbirds.
Caprimulgiformes have large heads, and their large eyes help them see at night. Also large is the gape, the width of the mouth when open. Around the mouths of some birds are whisker-like bristles. The birds have short legs, and many birds have one toe on each foot that points backward, forward, or away from the foot.
Caprimulgiformes have plain plumage. Adults' feathers are brown, gray, brownish yellow, and rufous, a reddish brown. Plumage is patterned, and this protective coloration helps Caprimulgiformes blend in with trees and hide from predators. Members of this order are also known as night birds because they are nocturnal, active at night.

The only family found in southern Africa is the nightjar family, Caprimulgidae

ORDER CAPRIMULGIFORMES
Family Caprimulgidae (Nightjars)

Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal or crepuscular birds in the family Caprimulgidae, characterized long wings, short legs and very short bills. They are sometimes called goatsuckers, due to the ancient folk tale that they sucked the milk from goats (the Latin for goatsucker is Caprimulgus). Some New World species are named as nighthawks. Nightjars usually nest on the ground.
Nightjars are found around the world. They are mostly active in the late evening and early morning or at night, and feed predominantly on moths and other large flying insects.
Most have small feet, of little use for walking, and long pointed wings. Their soft plumage is cryptically coloured to resemble bark or leaves. Some species, unusual for birds, perch along a branch, rather than across it. This helps to conceal them during the day. Bracken is their preferred habitat. They are insectivorous birds that take flying insects on the wing, usually at night. During the day they sleep on the ground or perched, usually lengthwise, on a branch.
Nightjars lay one or two patterned eggs directly onto bare ground. It has been suggested that nightjars will move their eggs and chicks from the nesting site in the event of danger by carrying them in their mouths. This suggestion has been repeated many times in ornithology books, but while this may accidentally happen, surveys of nightjar research have found very little evidence to support this idea.

ORDER CAPRIMULGIFORMES
Family Caprimulgidae (Nightjars)
Caprimulgus europaeus European Nightjar 404
Caprimulgus rufigena Rufous-cheeked Nightjar 406
Caprimulgus pectoralis Fiery-necked Nightjar 405
Caprimulgus natalensis Swamp Nightjar 407
Caprimulgus tristigma Freckled Nightjar 408
Caprimulgus fossii Square-tailed Nightjar 409
Caprimulgus vexillariu Pennant-winged Nightjar 410