Verreaux's Eagle-Owl ( Bubo lacteus, family: strigidae)
Birds & Birding in the Kruger National Park South Africa. In Roberts 6 this bird was called Giant Eagle Owl
The Verreaux's Eagle-Owl (Latin name Bubo lacteus) is described in
Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique
Roberts number of 402 and you will find a full description of this bird
on page 258 also a picture of the Verreaux's Eagle-Owl on page 272. The
Verreaux's Eagle-Owl belongs to the family of birds classified as
strigidae. According to the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African
Ornithology the Verreaux's Eagle-Owl is also known by these other names:
Milky Eagle-Owl.
In the previous edition of Roberts (ie 6th edition) the Verreaux's Eagle-Owl was called the Giant Eagle 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 Verreaux's Eagle-Owl is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park. It is however a common resident
In terms of distribution of the Verreaux's Eagle-Owl in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Verreaux's Eagle-Owl : see above distribution map.
Identification assistance for this avian species ...
One of the first indicators to take note of when trying to identify a bird is it relative size. For example how big is the bird compared to a well known familiar bird. The Verreaux's Eagle-Owl is a largish bird about the same size as a Pied Crow. The height of the Verreaux's Eagle-Owl is about 61 cms and its weight is about 1700 gms
The male and female Verreaux's Eagle-Owl have the same plumage and colours
- Head is grey.
- Eye is brown.
- Bill is blue, grey.
- Throat is grey, white.
- Back is grey, white.
- Legs are white.
This bird has normally proportioned leg length.
Main diet items for this bird ...
The Verreaux's Eagle-Owl feeds on the ground, and on the wing mainly
Smaller animals
Invertebrates
Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...
The Verreaux's Eagle-Owl is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Bubo lacteus will seek out a new mate
The nesting habit of Verreaux's Eagle-Owl is to create the nest in a hole in a tree trunk or on branches as a support or even hole in ground. The bird lays eggs which are white in colour and number between 1 to 2
Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...
The preferred habitats for Verreaux's Eagle-Owl are: woodlands and arid areas including grasslands
You will normally see the Verreaux's Eagle-Owl by itself rather than in the company of birds of the same species.
Names of this avian species in other languages ...
Xhosa ... Ifubesi
Zulu ... iFubesi/isiKhova
Afrikaans ...Reuse-ooruil
German ... Milchuhu, Blauhu
Portuguese ... Bufo-leitoso
French ... Grand-duc de Verreaux
Dutch ... Verreaux-Oehoe
First bird in list | Previous bird viewed | Next KNP bird | Last bird in list
For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...
Robert's 7th edition number ... 402
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
