Cape eared owl

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Cape eared owl
Marsh owl (Asio capensis) .jpg

Cape eared owl ( Asio capensis )

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Owls (Strigiformes)
Family : Real owls (Strigidae)
Genre : Ear Owls ( Asio )
Type : Cape eared owl
Scientific name
Asio capensis
( A. Smith , 1834)

The Cape eared owl ( Asio capensis ) is a species from the family of real owls . It occurs exclusively on the African continent and Madagascar. For a long time it was considered to be closely related to the short-eared owl . The ornithologists Claus König and Friedhelm Weick deny this and attribute the similarities in lifestyle and external appearance to a convergent development.

Appearance

With a height of around 29 to 38 centimeters, the Cape eared owl is a medium-sized representative of its genus. Like all ear owls, it has feather ears . In the Cape eared owl, however, they are very small and are often not noticed during field observations. The face veil is pale brown with a dark border and a noticeable border on the edge. The entire body plumage is earth-colored. Some individuals have fine speckles on the underside of their bodies.

It can be confused with the short-eared owl, which, however, has a pale yellow-brown plumage. The Ethiopian eared owl and the Madagascar eared owl have, in contrast to the Cape eared owl, very conspicuous feather ears. The different eagle owl species that occur in the area of ​​distribution of the Cape eared owl also differ in their more conspicuous feather ears and their larger body size.

distribution and habitat

The range of the Cape eared owl is not contiguous. An isolated population lives in Morocco, with other populations south of the Sahara. There the distribution area extends from Senegal and Gambia as well as Ethiopia to the Cape Province in South Africa. Basically, the Cape eared owl is a resident bird. However, individual populations south of the Sahara also show migratory movements and individual stray visitors have already been observed in the south of the Iberian Peninsula and on the Canary Islands. Migration is usually an expression of dwindling food resources or a response to bush fires and floods.

The habitat of the Cape Owl are open landscapes. It uses habitats as diverse as marshland in coastal regions and savannahs. The presence of trees is not a prerequisite for the settlement of a habitat. It is absent in forest areas, rocky deserts or rocky landscapes, as well as deserts.

Way of life

The Cape eared owl is a crepuscular and nocturnal species of owl. On cloudy days, she occasionally hunts during the day. Outside of the breeding season, it can occasionally be seen in small flocks. It usually transmits sitting on the ground and then occasionally sits under overhanging tufts of grass or similar vegetation. In the vicinity of the nest it behaves aggressively and also shows seductive behavior .

It is very variable in its food spectrum. As a rule, small mammals make up the majority of their prey spectrum. However, some Cape eared owls prefer to beat small birds. Prey animals include mice, voles, rats, young rabbits, bats, birds up to the size of ducks and pigeons, frogs, reptiles, beetles and grasshoppers.

The Cape Ear Owl is territorial during the breeding season. However, loose breeding colonies have also been observed. The hunting territories of neighboring breeding pairs can overlap. The breeding season begins with the onset of the dry season. As a rule, the clutch comprises three eggs. However, very large clutches can also have six eggs. The laying interval is usually two days. It only breeds the female who takes up the breeding business after the first egg is laid. The incubation period for each individual egg is between 27 and 28 days. The eyes of the nestlings open at about seven days of life, the face veil is already very well recognizable on the 10th day of life. At 70 days the young birds are completely feathered, but they are usually able to fly earlier.

supporting documents

Single receipts

  1. ↑ König et al., P. 489
  2. ↑ König et al., P. 487
  3. ↑ König et al., P. 488
  4. ↑ König et al., P. 488

literature

Web links

Commons : Cape eared owl ( Asio capensis )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files