Spotted Eagle-Owl

Spotted eagle-owls are the most common species of owl found in Southern Africa. They have a healthy population in most parts of the region. They are often referred to as urban owls and will live in close proximity to human habitation. They occur throughout Sub-Saharan Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. They can also be found in thorn savanna and in suburban gardens, such as the outskirts of Harare, Zimbabwe.

Its prey mainly consists of rodents, small mammals, birds (up to the size of terns and falcons), insects (such as beetles), other arthropods (such as termites, spiders and scorpions), reptiles, frogs and carrion, although it has a dietary preference for small mammals such as rodents, shrews, bats, hedgehogs and young hares. It often swallows its prey whole, with much head-jerking, pausing and resting in between, while a portion of the prey remains inside the mouth, until the prey can finally be swallowed down completely. Undigested substances such as feathers and bone are regurgitated within the next 24 hours of ingestion in the form of a pellet. For prey too large to swallow whole, the owl will tear pieces of meat from the prey, and will also tear shreds to feed nestlings. The male will hunt and bring food when the female cannot leave the nest. Sometimes, even in conditions verging on starvation, he will tear the head off a mouse, but bring the body for the female to feed to the young, or to eat herself if the eggs have not yet hatched. The species is a more generalist feeder, in contrast to say, the barn owls (Tyto) and is accordingly itinerant, remaining in a given region to hunt for a few weeks or months, then moving on when the local prey is no longer plentiful or easy to catch. Typically it will return at odd intervals of a year or two, depending on local conditions. …