- Southern White-faced Owl
Taxobox
name = Southern White-faced Owl
image_width = 240px
status = NR
regnum =Animalia
phylum =Chordata
classis =Aves
ordo =Strigiformes
familia =Strigidae
genus = "Ptilopsis "
species = "P. granti"
binomial = "Ptilopsis granti"
binomial_authority = (Kollibay, 1910)
synonyms = "Ptilopsis erlangeri"The Southern White-faced Owl ("Ptilopsis granti") is a fairly small
owl in the familyStrigidae . It is native to the southern half ofAfrica . It was formerly regarded as asubspecies of theNorthern White-faced Owl ("P. leucopsis") but the two are now commonly treated as separate species.It is 22-28 centimetres long and weighs 185-220 grams. 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 southernKenya and southwards toNamibia and northernSouth Africa . It inhabitssavanna and drywoodland . It is usually seen alone or in pairs. It hunts for largeinvertebrate s and some smallmammal s,bird s andreptile s 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.References
*aut|Sinclair, Ian & Ryan, Peter (2003) "Birds of Africa south of the Sahara", Struik, Cape Town.
*aut|World Owl Trust (2005) " [http://www.owls.org/Species/ptilopsis/southern_white_faced_owl.htm Southern White-faced Owl] ". Accessed 19/09/07.
*aut|Zimmerman, Dale A.; Turner, Donald A. & Pearson, David J. (1999) "Birds of Kenya & Northern Tanzania", Christopher Helm, London.
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