Alternative name: Desert Eagle-Owl
- Bubo ascalaphus
Identification
46-50cm
- Light tawny upperparts, marked with black and white
- White throat
- Pale sandy underparts with black streaks
- Pale ears
- Orange or yellow eyes
Similar Species
Pharaoh Eagle-Owl is smaller and paler than even the nearest populations of Eurasian Eagle Owl; there is an overlap in range in the middle east (subspecies interpositus of Eurasian EO).
Distribution
Africa and the Middle East
Northern Africa: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Western Sahara, Libya and Egypt
Western Africa: Mauritania, Mali, Niger and Chad
Eastern Africa: Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia
Middle East: Syria, Israel, Jordan, Arabian Peninsula, Saudi Arabia, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq and Iran
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 2 subspecies[1]:
- B. a. ascalaphus:
- B. a. desertorum: Generally paler
- Sahara to Mauritania, Niger, Ethiopia, Arabia and southern Iraq
Habitat
Rocky deserts and semi-deserts, gorges, cliffs, rocky mountain slopes.
Behaviour
Diet
Their diet consists mostly of mammals and birds, and also includes reptiles and scorpions.
Breeding
The clutch consists of 2-4 eggs, which is laid in a scrape in rocks or a crevice. Incubation lasts for about 36 days.
Vocalisation
Call: A deep downward inflected “whu”. Also a dog-like 'bark' alarm call.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2015. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2015, with updates to August 2015. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- World Owl Trust
- BF Member observations
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Pharaoh Eagle-Owl. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 26 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Pharaoh_Eagle-Owl
