Southern White-faced Scops-Owl ( Ptilopsis granti, family: strigidae)
Birds & Birding in the Kruger National Park South Africa. In Roberts 6 this bird was called White-faced Owl
The Southern White-faced Scops-Owl (Latin name Ptilopsis granti) is
described in Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird
has a unique Roberts number of 397 and you will find a full description
of this bird on page 254 also a picture of the Southern White-faced
Scops-Owl on page 272. The Southern White-faced Scops-Owl belongs to the
family of birds classified as strigidae. According to the Percy
FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology the Southern White-faced
Scops-Owl is also known by these other names: White-faced Owlet,
White-faced Scops-Owl, White-faced Screech-Owl.
In the previous edition of Roberts (ie 6th edition) the Southern White-faced Scops-Owl was called the White-faced Owl. The Robert's 7 Latin name for Southern White-faced Scops-Owl has changed from Otus leucotis in Robert's 6 to Ptilopsis granti.
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 Southern White-faced Scops-Owl is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park.
In terms of distribution of the Southern White-faced Scops-Owl in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Southern White-faced Scops-Owl : see above distribution map.
Identification assistance for this avian species ...
The Southern White-faced Scops-Owl is a bird about the same size as a starling. The height of the Southern White-faced Scops-Owl is about 28 cms and its weight is about 190 gms
The male and female Southern White-faced Scops-Owl have the same plumage and colours
- Head is grey.
- Eye is yellow.
- Bill is grey.
- Throat is white.
- Back is grey, black.
- Legs are white.
This bird has normally proportioned leg length.
Main diet items for this bird ...
The Southern White-faced Scops-Owl feeds on wing mainly
Smaller animals
Invertebrates
Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...
The Southern White-faced Scops-Owl is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Ptilopsis granti will seek out a new mate
The nesting habit of Southern White-faced Scops-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 4
Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...
The preferred habitats for Southern White-faced Scops-Owl are: woodlands . The Southern White-faced Scops-Owl is also at home in wetland and bushveld areas.
You will normally see the Southern White-faced Scops-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 ... uMandubulu
Afrikaans ...Witwanguil
German ... Weigesicht-Ohreule
Portuguese ... Mocho-de-faces-brancas
French ... Petit-duc de Grant
Dutch ... Witwangdwergooruil
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For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...
Robert's 7th edition number ... 397
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
