Spotted Eagle-Owl
Bubo africanus
Without the help of guide Julius Ruto (juliusrutto @ yahoo.com) this Spotted Eagle-Owl would not have been seen at Lake Baringo National Park, Kenya. October 2010.
From Wikipedia: Spotted Eagle-Owl is a medium-sized species of owl, one of the smallest of the Eagle owls. Its length is forty-five cm (18 inch) and its weight is from 480 to 850g (1 to 1.8 pounds). It has a 100 centimetres (39 in) to 140 centimetres (55 in) wingspan. The facial disk is off white to pale ochre and the eyes are yellow. It has prominent ear tufts, and the upper body is dusky brown, the lower parts off-white with brown bars. Prior to 1999 the Spotted Eagle-Owl was considered conspecific with the Greyish Eagle-Owl, but now it is classed as a separate species.
Strigidae -- Owl Family
Books Available for Sale on ABE Books:
- Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania by Zimmerman et al.
- Birds of East Africa by Stevenson and Fanshawe