Marsh Owl ( Asio capensis, family: strigidae)

marsh owl Kruger National Park birds The Marsh Owl (Latin name Asio capensis) is described in Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique Roberts number of 395 and you will find a full description of this bird on page 263 also a picture of the Marsh Owl on page 272. The Marsh Owl belongs to the family of birds classified as strigidae. According to the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology the Marsh Owl is also known by these other names: African Marsh Owl.

The map of the Kruger you see on this page shows the areas (coloured orange) where this bird has been identified. The basic information was provided by the Avian Demographic Unit based at UCT and I created the maps from that information ... the green dots show the locations of the various Kruger National Park Rest Camps

The Marsh Owl is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park.

In terms of distribution of the Marsh Owl in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Marsh Owl : see above distribution map.

Identification assistance for this avian species ...

The Marsh Owl is a bird a little bit bigger than a starling. The height of the Marsh Owl is about 36 cms and its weight is about 315 gms

The male and female Marsh Owl have the same plumage and colours

  • Head is grey.
  • Eye is brown.
  • Bill is brown.
  • Throat is grey.
  • Back is brown, black.
  • Legs are brown.

This bird has normally proportioned leg length.

Main diet items for this bird ...

The Marsh Owl feeds on wing mainly

Smaller animals

Invertebrates

Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...

The Marsh Owl is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Asio capensis will seek out a new mate

The nesting habit of Marsh Owl is to create the nest in a hole in a tree trunk. The bird lays eggs which are white in colour and number between 2 to 6

Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...

The preferred habitats for Marsh Owl are: woodlands . The Marsh Owl is also at home in wetland and bushveld areas.

You will normally see the Marsh Owl by itself rather than in the company of birds of the same species.

Names of this avian species in other languages ...

Xhosa ... Unknown

Zulu ... iNkovane/umShwelele

Afrikaans ...Vlei-uil

German ... Kapohreule

Portuguese ... Coruja-dos-pntanos

French ... Hibou du Cap

Dutch ... Afrikaanse Velduil

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For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...

Robert's 7th edition number ... 395

The main reference source for this data was "Roberts - Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition" . Other references were "Newmans Birds of the Kruger Park" by Keith Newman published circa 1980 . Names in foreign languages were obtained from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town website , www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za