African Wood Owl
There are currently four recognised subspecies and they are named and distributed as follows:
Strix woodfordii woodfordii: southern Angola and southern Democratic Republic of the Congo, north to southwestern Tanzania, east to Botswana and South Africa.
Strix woodfordii nuchalis: Senegal and Gambia east to South Sudan, Uganda, the western Democratic Republic of the Congo, and northern Angola, also Bioko.
Strix woodfordii umbrina: Ethiopia and eastern South Sudan
Strix woodfordii nigricantior: southern Somalia to Kenya south to Tanzania including Zanzibar, and eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Habitat
They live mainly in forests, from the edge of primary forest to dense woodland. Also riverine forest and plantations. Ranges from sea-level up to 3700m elevation.They range from South of the Sahel Zone in western Africa from Casamance, in Senegal, east to Ethiopia and south to the Cape in South Africa.
Diet
They are carnivores and this owl feeds mostly on insects such as grasshoppers, crickets, cicadas, moths, caterpillars, and beetles, but will also take frogs, reptiles, small birds, small rodents and shrews. Most prey is caught from a perch, the owl normally watching its victim intently before swooping down on it. Also hawks flying insects in the air, and snatches small animals from vegetation while in flight.
Breeding
Each pair occupies a territory throughout the year, and is particularly vocal before the start of the breeding season. Normally nests in a natural hole in a tree, often where a large branch has broken off. Occasionally uses a stick nest of a larger bird, or nests on the ground at the base of a trunk or beneath a fallen log. The female lays 1-3 (usually 2) rounded white eggs at intervals of 2-4 days. She incubates the eggs alone, starting with the first egg, while the male supplies the food. The incubation period is 31 days, and the young hatch at similar intervals to which the eggs were laid. Chicks open their eyes 10 days after hatching. The female broods them until they are about three weeks old, then leaves them unattended at night to help her mate bring food to the nest. At 23-27 days old, the young leave the nest, but are still unable to fly, and remain in cover nearby where they are fed by both parents. By 46 days they fly well, staying with their parents for a further four months before becoming independent
Population
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