Southern White-Faced Scop Owl
by Eva Lechner
Title
Southern White-Faced Scop Owl
Artist
Eva Lechner
Medium
Photograph - Photograph/artistic Photography
Description
The southern white-faced owl (Ptilopsis granti) is a fairly small owl in the family Strigidae. It is native to the southern half of Africa. It was formerly regarded as a subspecies of the northern white-faced owl (P. leucopsis) but the two are now commonly treated as separate species.
It is 22–28 centimetres (8.7–11.0 in) long and weighs 185–220 grams (6.5–7.8 oz). The upperparts are grey with dark streaks and there are white spots on the scapular feathers. The underparts are whitish with dark streaks. The face is white with a black border and black around the large orange eyes. The head has two short "ear" tufts with black tips. Juvenile birds have a greyish face. The Northern White-faced Owl is usually paler and browner with reduced streaking below.
The call is a series of fast, bubbling hoots. It is uttered at night and frequently repeated. The northern white-faced owl has a very different two-note call.
Its range extends from Gabon eastwards to southern Kenya and southwards to Namibia and northern South Africa. It inhabits savanna and dry woodland. It is usually seen alone or in pairs. It hunts for large invertebrates and some small mammals, birds and reptiles are also taken.
The eggs are usually laid in the old nest of another bird. The clutch contains two or three eggs which are incubated for about 30 days. The young birds leave the nest about a month after hatching.
3rd tied place in the Contest Pop Up 41 - Birds Of A Feather-October 2019
Uploaded
October 15th, 2019
Statistics
Viewed 849 Times - Last Visitor from New York, NY on 03/27/2024 at 7:47 PM
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Comments (29)
Mary Deal
What a shot you've captured. I have a growing fondness for owls. This is a magnificent shot.
Miroslava Jurcik
If you had a location where pic was taken , this would have been superfeature in Kingdom Animalia, stunning !!!
Nancy Lee Moran
Your sensitive owl portrait has my vote in the "Birds of a Feather" contest - beautiful eyes!