VERREAUX'S EAGLE OWL (BUBO LACTEUS)

Conservation status:

Least concern (from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016)

Origin: Africa.

Diet: Rabbits, hedgehogs, hares, small rodents, mongoose and small game. They are carnivores.

Predators: None, they are top of the food chain.

Habitat: Woodlands, savannah and dense forests. They regularly bathe in rain or shallow water.

WE ARE BIRDS with a lifespan of 20 years in the wild or 30 years in captivity

Height 66-71cm

Weight KG 1.6-3.1kg

DID YOU KNOW?

Verreaux's Eagle Owl are monogamous and territorial. Pairs aggressively declare and mark their territory with calls and songs that can be heard as far as three miles away.

It is the largest owl in Africa and the third largest species of owl in the world, with only the Eurasian Eagle Owl and Blakiston's Fish Owl being larger.

Females are substantially larger than males.

REPRODUCTION

Like many owls they do not build their own nests, instead they use nests made by other birds.

The females usually lay 1-2 eggs which she sits on for 32-39 days whilst her male partner hunts for and brings back food.

Often only one chick survives. It stays in the nest for about two months and within its parents' territory for nearly two years.

Around two weeks after leaving the nest they will learn to fly.

By three-four years old they are ready to reproduce!