Pel's Fishing Owl

It is found throughout a large part of sub-Saharan Africa, but it is generally rather local, uncommon and absent from drier regions. Adults are rich ginger-rufous with dense dark bars to the upperparts and scaling to the underparts. The two related African fish-owls are smaller and lack the dark barring and scaling . Juveniles are more uniform buff than adults. Unlike the eagle-owls, the ear tufts of the Pel's Fishing-owl are barely visible, giving it a very round-headed appearance.

The Pel's Fishing Owl is classified as Least Concern. Does not qualify for a more at risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.

* pel's fishing owl on night drive0:19 * Ajouter à la file d'attente Ajoutée à la file d'attente pel's fishing owl on night drive426 vuesCH2CHCHO * Barred Owl hoots & grabs fish1:56 * Ajouter à la file d'attente Ajoutée à la file d'attente Barred Owl hoots & grabs fish26488 More

Pel's Fishing Owl by Debbie Morrison Zambezi logo Zambezi Guestbook Pel's Fishing Owl is a rarely seen and strictly nocturnal species. These large birds are habitat specific found only in thick riverine forests in proximity to fishing pools. They are very selective about their nesting sites, seeking out a hollowed broken bough of a tree in thick cover. More

The Pel's Fishing Owl is one of the largest African owls and does not have the ear tufts that are characteristic of many of the other owl species. The rusty brown colour feathers with dark brown spots together with this birds rarity have lead it to being nicknamed "The Leopard with Feathers". Sexes are alike although the male is slightly smaller than the female. More

Mendelsohn JM 1997 Pel's Fishing Owl In: Harrison JA, Allan DG, Underhill LG, Herremans M, Tree AJ, Parker V, Brown CJ (eds). The Atlas of Southern African Birds. Vol. 1:596. BirdLife South Africa, Johannesburg. Mendelsohn JM, Roberts C 1997 An environmental profile and atlas of Caprivi. Gamsberg Macmillan Publishers, Windhoek. Mendelsohn J, Jarvis A,, Roberts C, Robertson T 2002 Atlas of Namibia: a portrait of the land and its people. David Philip, Cape Town. Mendelsohn J, el Obeid S 2004. More

Pel's Fishing Owl is a very large (length about 63cm) reddish brown owl with no ears, dark eyes and bare legs. They are also distinguishable by having no clearly marked facial disc. Sexes are alike although the male is slightly smaller than the female. More

* Pel's Fishing-Owl at night Adult Pel's Fishing Owl perched on dead tree in Luangwa River at night Zambia ingwe24 22 September 2006 1 year ago 3. More

For the purposes of our bird news services, Pel's Fishing Owl is classed as ungraded: species which are unlikely to appear as wild birds in Britain or Ireland (Note that rarity levels are currently applied nationally and may not reflect local variations in abundance. More

Pel's Fishing Owl on a Birding Africa tour © Callan Cohen Pel's Fishing Owl seen on a Birding Africa Tour © Callan Cohen Green-spotted Wood Dove © Deirdre Vrancken, Birding Africa Green-spotted Wood Dove © Deirdre Vrancken, Birding Africa 2010 Tour dates and prices Birding Africa Tours Dates Days Price* Single** Detailed itinerary Tour report Okavango Delta & More

Pel's Fishing Owl has a very large, loose-feathered head with no ear tufts. This gives its huge, cowled head a look of exaggerated roundness. It is of a rufous-orange color. This owl is chiefly found in Africa, to the south of the Sahara. More

Pel's fishing owl is one of the hardest birds to see in the whole of Africa. Huge and almost entirely nocturnal, this near-mythical creature prowls the swamps and waterways of the continent in search of its fishy prey. So as I set off to explore the Okavango Delta on a bright, sunny morning, Pel's fishing owl was not very high on the list of birds I expected to see. More

nine Pel's fishing owls were seen and counted, and the owl is listed as rare in the Red Data Book. Every single member of the team paused and watched as the owls moved trees, awed and humbled by what was, for the majority of the team, a first sighting of this bird, or in birders’ parlance, a 'lifer'. The birds were keenly aware of the human presence, and eventually flew off to hide in the foliage of the surrounding trees. More