Bird of the Week – Cape eagle owl

THE Cape eagle owl is an uncommon to rare resident found over most of South Africa but absent from the dry, central interior.

These owls like rocky and mountainous country, usually with dense woodland or bush.

It generally does not enter cities. They are solitary, nocturnal and by day sit tight in the secluded roost of a cave, ledge or tree. They flush reluctantly and are easily overlooked.

Hunting from a perch, they swoop silently onto their prey. Their food preference are mammals such as hares, canerats, young dassies, genets, mongoose, rodents and shrews. Birds are also part of their prey such as francolins, guineafowl, pigeons and lizards.

The Cape eagle owl’s call is a mellow hooting starting with a lower pitched ‘hoo – hoo – hoo’ and drawn out with last note ‘woo – woooh’. The alarm call is a sharp ‘wak – wak’ with its bill clattering.

Breeding season is from May to August. The nest is an unlined scrape on the ground, ledge, under a rock or hollow of a tree.

One to three white eggs are laid with the incubation taking 38 days. Nestlings remain for 45 days with food found by the female and brought by the male. They usually start flying between 70 and 77 days.

The Zulu name is isikhovampondo and in Afrikaans, die Kaapse ooruil.

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