Alternative name: African Long-eared Owl
- Asio abyssinicus
Identification
42–44 cm
- Brown ear tufts with white edges
- Pale to dark buffy-rufous facial disc
- Grey Eyebrows
Distribution
Africa
Western Africa: Democratic Republic of Congo
Eastern Africa: Eritrea, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda
Taxonomy
Subspecies
This is a polytipic species consisting of two subspecies[1]:
- A. a. abyssinicus:
- A. a. graueri:
- Rwenzori Mountains (northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo and southwestern Uganda), Mt. Kabobo (eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo), and Mount Kenya
Habitat
Montane woodland, moorland and grassland. At heights above 3000 m.
Behaviour
Diet
Their main diet consists of small mammals, particularly rats, molerats and shrews.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved October 2014)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Abyssinian Owl. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 8 September 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Abyssinian_Owl